New Forces Unleashed
by Fire Eyes
Summary: This is a story I have been working on for years. It is a crossover of a lot of things, including various anime, Star Wars, James Bond, and David Eddings. Don't ask where it came from - I don't know myself.
1. Discovery

Author's Note: This is the first chapter of Part I, introducing Violet Wakefield.  Chapters 1-4 will concentrate on this character.

            Six-year-old Violet Wakefield sat alone in an oversized chair in the palace library, reading a book she had pulled off one of the lower shelves. Suddenly, she slammed it shut.

            "Eeww! Mushy stuff!" Violet exclaimed. "Why did they have to kiss? It was good until then!"  With a snort, she reopened the volume and hunted for another, better story.

            A few moments later, someone walked up behind her. "What book are you reading, Flower?" her mother, Queen Ariana of Yavinia, asked.

            "Mommy! You scared me!" Violet said, jumping a little in her seat and dropping her book on the floor, having become engrossed in a different tale.

            "An old cow like me?" the queen joked. Ariana was eight-and-a-half months pregnant with her second child, and often joked around about how big she was.

            Violet studied her mother for a moment, squinting her eyes as she had seen adults do when they studied something. Slowly and seriously, she said, "Mommy, you can't be a cow. You don't make 'moo' sounds, and you aren't black and white. I know: I've seen holo…holo…" she trailed off, not remembering the word.

            "Do you mean holograms, Flower?"

            "Yes! I've seen…holograms…of them before."

            Queen Ariana laughed outright at her daughter's serious observation. "Right you are. It's called a figure of speech."

            Violet looked at her mother, puzzled.

            "You'll learn about those when you get older." Ariana cumbersomely leaned over to retrieve the book the young princess had dropped. "Hmm…Tales from History," she read. "Which one were you reading?"

            "The one with my name on it."

            Ariana chuckled. "You mean The Wakefield Legend?"

            "See? It has my name on it!"

            "It certainly does," she replied, smiling. "You see, it's about your ancestors."

            Violet frowned. "Mommy, what are an-sess-ters?"

            "They are people like your grandparents' parents, and so on. They lived a long time ago, and you are related to them in some way."

            "Oh," she answered, not quite understanding. "How long ago was this story, Mommy?"

            "Over a hundred years ago."

            The princess' eyes widened. "That's a long time!"

            "It sure is, to someone young like you."

            Violet paused for a moment before asking, "The man in the story had a tail. Was it like mine?"

            Queen Ariana beamed, pleased that her young daughter had made the connection. "Yes. In fact, it is because of him that you have that tail. You know, that tail of yours is going to have a large impact on your life."

            Before her daughter could reply, someone came scurrying into the room.  "Your Majesty! You shouldn't be up and about!" Sara, the queen's fussy maid, scolded her. "You're too close to your time for that! I've been looking all over for you!"

            The queen opened her mouth to tell her maid that she was just fine when a sharp wave of pain gripped her abdomen. She sat down abruptly. "Well, Sara, for once you're right," she said, smiling affectionately. 

            The older woman looked pleased for a moment, then frowned.  "What do you mean, for once?"

            "I do believe I just experienced my first contraction."

            Sara gasped, all thoughts of banter forgotten. "How far along are you?"

            "Oh, this was just the first--"  Before Ariana could finish her sentence, Sara had dashed out of the room to the nearest comm unit to notify the palace physician.

            "Are you okay, Mommy?" Violet asked, her small eyes wide with anxiety.

            "I will be in a few hours, I hope. You should have a baby brother soon. Go find your daddy, for me, please, Flower. He will certainly want to be here quickly."

            The princess hesitated for a moment, then ran off to obey. Running quickly through the thickly carpeted hallway, she turned a corner and collided into someone as she ran. She began to fall backwards and would have hit the ground hard if strong arms had not caught her.

            "Now, what's Daddy's Flower doing dashing through the halls like that?" King Ryo asked his daughter, laughing as he picked her up.

            "Mommy told me to find you. She said that I'm going to have a baby brother soon."

            "Now?" he asked in disbelief.

            Violet nodded.

            Nearly dropping the girl in shock, the king barely remembered to ask his daughter where her mother was before he too dashed through the halls, backtracking Violet's route to the library.

            When they got there, Ariana was nowhere to be seen.

            Sara came up to them breathlessly. "We moved her up to the medical wing, your Majesty. She asked me to tell you to hurry. If your son comes as quickly as your daughter did…" the maid trailed off as Ryo, still carrying Violet, quickly headed up the stairs toward the medical facility.

***

            Seven long hours later, Prince Cass was born. The king and princess had to be shooed from the birthing room for most of the time because they were more nervous than the queen herself. Sara let them in later, and Ryo held his daughter up to the bed so she could see her new brother.

            "He's so…little…and red…and scrunched up," she said critically.

            The tired queen and her wired king laughed. "Just wait, Flower. He'll grow up, just like you have," her mother said.

            Violet looked at him more closely. "Does he have a tail too?"

            Ryo's head shot up at her question.

            Ariana answered, after a moment, "Yes."

            "They both do?" he asked incredulously. "What are we going to do with them?"

            Violet eyed her father with new interest. "What does my tail do?"

            "Uh, well…"

            "Ryo, you might as well tell her now. I need to rest, too, so it'll keep you both out of my hair," she teased affectionately.

            "Okay, dear," he said, gave her a quick kiss, and led Violet out of the room. They walked down to the library, back to where Violet had been reading hours before. The king sat his daughter down on his lap and began his story.

            Violet interrupted him after a moment. "Daddy, I read that story."

            "You did?"

            "Yeah, right before Mommy sent me to get you."

            "Oh, okay. Well, then, do you know what having a tail does?"

            "No."

            "It gives you powers that hardly anyone else has."

            "It does?"

            "Yes, but you need to learn how to harness those powers in order to use them properly."

            "I want to use them to make Yavinia better, then."

            Ryo laughed. "That's my good Flower," he said with a smile.

            Violet sat there thinking for a moment. "So…was the girl they were talking about at the end of the story…is that me?"

            Ryo paused, not sure how to answer her question. "I think so, but I'm not sure."

            "Oh," she replied, her tone serious.  "When do I get to learn how to use these…powers?"

            "Later, dear, later."


	2. Birth

            Six months later, Violet began her preliminary training to learn how to use her saiyan powers. Her parents were worried that it was too early to start, but they were soon relieved to find that Violet took the training well and improved quickly.

            On a bright summer morning about ten years later, seventeen-year-old Violet was just finishing up her ten-mile run for the day when she heard something. Pausing for a moment, she held her breath in order to hear better, but no sound came out of the forest behind the palace. Shaking her head and blaming the sound on the wind, she resumed running and thinking about the celebration that would take place that day.

            Upon returning to the palace, Violet jogged up the back stairs to her rooms, where she showered off the sweat and grime of her run and freshened up for the long day ahead. When she got downstairs to the small dining hall reserved for her family for "normal" meals-those meals that did not have anything to do with any special gathering-she saw her parents in a flurry of activity. They were finalizing the plans for the celebration for the 170th anniversary of the Island Alliance, which they were hosting that year.

            "Hey, Cass," she greeted her brother, who was working on food arrangements. Though he was only eleven years old, he had a talent for organization-a very rare trait in a boy his age-and was looking over the arrangements for the food, making sure everything was in order. "Need help with anything?" Violet asked, just to be polite, because she knew what his answer would be.

            "Nope-got everything pretty well covered on this end," he replied without looking up from the sheets of paper.

            Shaking her head and smiling to herself, Violet moved on to where her mother sat, looking over the decorations and furniture arrangements with an assistant. "We'll have the tables with food and the seating tables over on the green, correct?"

            "Yes. They're being set up as we speak," her assistant replied.

            "Good. Make sure that there will be plenty of décor over there, since that is where we'll be most of the day, except for in the games area." Queen Ariana looked up for the first time, finally noticing her daughter standing there. "Violet, could you be so kind as to get the sheaf of papers for the games area and go over them? I need you to make sure everything is in order. If everything checks out, go oversee the set-up."

            "Sure." Violet walked over to get the papers, passing her father on the way as he sat down at the table with even more papers, poring over the money side of the whole party. _I don't even want to think about how much this is costing Yavinia to host. Oh, well, at least celebrations like this only happen once every five years, and even then we rotate hosting duties with the other three countries. Grabbing the papers, a cursory glance told her that everything was going smoothly, so she took the papers and went over to the games area._

            There would be an arena for sparring for those skilled with either the blade or the lightsaber, though they would simply be using blunted steel so that no one would get hurt. There also were padded suits, so that it would take only a touch for the match to be over. Violet hoped to have a chance at doing that herself.

            Then there were dart boards, coin-tossing booths, and many other fun little places were people could test their skills-kind of like at carnivals, though these were much more modern and one did not have to pay to play.

            The last few hours flew by in a flurry of preparation. The party was slated to start at eleven o'clock, and they finished everything just in time to be changed and ready to receive the other royal families of the Alliance. Much of the populace would be coming as well, but greeters at the gates would welcome them long after the royalty arrived.

            The first family to arrive was the Westland family of Alendre. King Kyte was about two years older than Violet's father, and Queen Carida was about four years older than her mother. Their two children, Prince Garion and Princess Tyria, were sixteen and ten, respectively. Violet had not seen them since the last celebration five years earlier. Though their parents often met to talk of state matters, they rarely brought their children along for the ride. The Wakefields stood as they entered, escorted by the two greeters.

            "Oh, please, Ryo, you know we're good enough friends to not need formalities," King Kyte said cheerfully as they walked into the room. Ryo grinned and shook the offered hand strongly. "You do remember my kids, don't you?"

            Violet and Cass nodded at the other two. They nodded in return. As their parents began speaking, Violet took a moment to appraise them. She noted that Garion had grown quite a bit, and was almost as tall as his six-foot father. Tyria, though she was only ten years old, was already beginning to look like her beautiful mother.

            Garion eyed Violet as well. He saw that she was tall for a girl her age, and good-looking, though still a little too gangly to be called beautiful. Her shoulder-length blonde hair fell down across her shoulders quite well, however, and gave her an air that made her seem older than she really was. Cass was also tall for his age, and would probably surpass his father, who was only an inch shorter than Kyte.

            Both Violet and Garion, noticing that their younger siblings were a bit shy around each other, began talking of how much fun they had the last time they had seen each other in hopes that they would take the hint and go play. Soon they left, Tyria being chased by Cass out the back door.

            By this time both teens had sat down and had lost a subject to talk about. Then Violet said thoughtfully, "You know, there really aren't too many royal kids."

            "Yeah, I know. Keiran Windward is only seven, and the Winslows don't have any."

            Violet glanced over at him. "I wonder where April is, then. She's what, nine by now?"

            "Yeah. I know, I keep thinking of her as if she were dead."

            "And Gavin, had he lived, would be my brother's age, right?"

            "I think so. He's eleven, right?"

            She nodded. "Kind of the opposite of how it was five years ago, isn't it?"

            "How so?"

            "Well, this time it's the guy who's a year older than the girl," she said, winking at him.

            "Well, if you're going to pull age on me, I'll just pull height."

            "Hey! That's not fair-you're a guy, of course you're taller!"

            "So, I guess we're both just victims of circumstance, then."

            Violet burst out laughing. "I've never known you to be a man of big words, Garion."

            "Five years of tutoring can do that to a person, can't it?"

            "Yeah, it sure can. So, what do you do in your spare time?"

            "Well, in the mornings I run, and…"

            "You run too? How far?"

            "About eight miles, but I'm working it up to beat your ten."

            "How did you know?"

            "Our parents don't only talk about state matters, you know."

            She laughed. "Want to go into the forest? I can show you some great running trails. We could even have a race, if you want to," Violet said with a challenge in her voice.

            "You set it, I'll take it."

            She lifted an eyebrow. "Did you get that phrase from anyplace special?"

            "How'd you guess?"

            "I've read Corran Horn's autobiography too, you know. Didn't Mara Jade say that, before she married Luke?"

            "I think so. Do you study our ancestry a lot?"

            "Yeah. It's fascinating. Especially all the stuff about the New Republic and the Galactic Civil War."

            "Yeah. But I don't like reading about the Yuuzhan Vong. They really screwed up the New Republic, didn't they?"

            "They sure did. I'm just glad they were able to finally win in the end."

            "Me, too."

            The two were silent for a moment. Then Violet spoke up. "Let's go, then. Or do you want me to show you your room so you can change first?"

            "Changing out of these clothes sounds good. I don't need another lecture about getting my nice clothes dirty."

            "You mean like the one we got at the last celebration?"

            "Exactly."

            Violet led Garion up the stairs to the wing of the house where guests slept. The celebration for the populace lasted only the single day, but for the royalty it lasted three times that, with lots of feasting and talks about their ancestry and modern politics. Ten minutes later, with both of them changed into running gear, they set out at a slow pace so Garion could familiarize himself with the territory.

            They had jogged about a mile when Violet heard the noise again. She stopped abruptly.

            "What is it?" Garion asked, also stopping.

            "Sh!"

            She listened very carefully for a moment, and then whirled around at the sound of a voice.

            "So, you were the power I spotted earlier?" a large, strongly built man said disbelievingly. A gadget on his right eye beeped. He punched a button on it. The device made a whirring noise, and then stopped. "It's not the boy, then-but a girl with this kind of power level?"

            Garion looked at the man, then at Violet, then back to the man. "What is he talking about?" he whispered to her.

            The man interrupted Violet's reply. "I am talking about her power level. What makes her able to fight, if she knows how to use it."

            _Grr__…I am not as stupid as I may look to you, idiot! Violet took a moment to evaluate the man's own power level. __Sheesh__, his power level is almost as high as mine, maybe higher! I have got a problem over here…I sure hope the legend that a saiyan gets stronger after every fight holds true for me. Wait a sec! What is Garion going to do? This guy is going to see him as my weak point, for sure. This is so not good…_

            "What, has a cat got your tongue, saiyan? Yes, I can see your tail. It's very rare on a woman, but you're probably too weak to fight, anyway."

            _I'm glad I've been suppressing my power level, like the books my ancestor Rile left for me told me to do. I hope he hasn't spotted Cass' small power, too._

            Suddenly she sensed something. The man had begun to power up. His large hands encased a small yellow ball. He said something in his native tongue, and then hurled it at her.

            Garion stood there, stunned, having no clue as to what exactly was going on.

            Violet stepped in front of him and replied to the attack with her own. "He-yah!" she grunted as she hurled her own violet ball at him-she used violet as a pun on her own name.

            "Wha-where did your power come from?"

            "It's a special talent, scumbag. Now get off my island and off this planet."

            "Oh, your island? Well, your Majesty, I'm sorry that I scuffed it up," he said tauntingly.

            "Good. I'm glad that you have a respect for those in higher places above you," she spat back at him.

            "Oooh, I'm so scared."

            He powered up again and started throwing small energy projectiles at her.

            "Move it, Garion!" she cried out as she moved to defend herself and him.

            He dove to the forest floor and moved behind some nearby trees. _I knew Violet was a saiyan and had extraordinary powers, but I had no idea they were like this! I wonder if Jedi can cast energy?_

            The attacks hit her square on. Dust began to fly and plants' leaves were torn off their branches and limbs by the force of the attack. After a moment, the dust cleared and the leaves settled on the ground, revealing a windblown, dirtied up, but hardly worse for wear Violet. The man was stunned.

            "How the heck did you manage that?"

            "Gee, I don't know. It doesn't really matter, now, does it? The fact is that I did it. Scared now?"

            "Me? Scared? Of you? Whatever," he said with more bluster than he felt.

            Violet answered his boisterous comment with a disappearing act. His device-Violet remembered it being spoken of in Rile's writings as a scouter-began blinking, having lost its target. She reappeared behind him and gave him a strong right hook to the jaw as he turned around. The blow knocked him a few steps to the side. He responded with a flurry of punches, most of which Violet deflected, but a few landed on her face and sides. They continued sparring in this way for about fifteen minutes, neither gaining an advantage over the other, except those few times when Violet vanished, then reappeared a second later somewhere else.

            Tiring, the man made a desperate move-he moved quicker than Violet had expected. The man ended up by the grove of trees where Garion was hiding. Picking him up by his neck, thereby rendering him defenseless, he held him up for Violet to see.

            _Do not use your Jedi powers!_ The words rang inside Garion's head.

            _What on--who are you?_ he asked the voice, confused.

            _That is not something you need to know right now, young one. Know this, though: that young woman over there has the mindset of a protector. Whatever you do, do not allow her to see how strong you are, ever, unless her life is in danger._

            _What are you talking about?_ Garion shouted at the voice, but it was no use. The voice was gone. Blinking, the young prince turned his attention back to the confrontation.

            Violet had chased after her opponent as he had made his move, but was brought up short by his taking hostage of Garion.

            He laughed evilly. "I see that here I hold your weak point, saiyan. Give up now, and he may live. If you try to stop me at any time in the future, you will know that I hold him captive, and any move you make directed at me, he will feel five times more than I ever will."

            Rage built up inside of Violet, but she tried to suppress it. _I may not be a Jedi, so I don't have to worry about the dark side, but I still need to be in control of my anger. The dark side may not be my consequence, but something else almost at bad probably will. Anything I do in haste here will have its impact on Garion. I don't believe this guy is bluffing-he's not the sort to offer torture as a bluff. Sounds like the saiyans Rile wrote about…_

            _Well, here goes. Garion, please don't hold this against me! _"Ha! You really think that he will stop me from attacking you? Think again!"

            The stricken look on Garion's face almost stopped her, but she pressed on. "If there is anything that would stop me, it would be something that you don't know exists; therefore, there is nothing that you can hope to use to stop me."

            The man's jaw dropped. So did Garion's. Violet winced inwardly, but bravely stood her ground. Then she saw the lines around the man's mouth tense. "Well, then, brave little saiyan, my doing this won't bother you." As he spoke, he began to squeeze Garion's neck, constricting his airflow. Then, he punched him in the stomach, still squeezing his neck with his other hand. Garion's eyes just about popped out of their sockets with the pain, but there was apparently nothing he could do. Stoically he accepted the pain with such a level of self-control that it stunned the princess.

            The rage Violet had tried to suppress earlier broke out of its cage like a furious tiger. She screamed with anger. Her fists tightened to the point that her knuckles were white. Yellow flame-like energy began to surround her. Wind blew from the force of her strength; pebbles flew through the air as lightly as if they were feathers. Plants were ripped out of the ground. Her eyes became slits. Her muscles bunched, then, with an animal-like shriek, her rage exploded in a burst of uncontrolled energy, sweeping around her and hiding her from sight for a split second.

            The figure that the energy revealed looked like Violet Wakefield, yet somehow it did not look like her. She seemed taller, stronger, more muscular, and more saiyan-like than ever before. Yellow flames of energy surrounded her, hissing with power. Her hair almost stood on end, much like her ancestor Rile's had, except that it was a complete yellow-blonde, and not dusty blonde like it had been before her transformation. Violet had become a super-saiyan.

            The man dropped Garion onto the ground, stunned. "This…this can't be!" he cried out.

            "Oh, it is," Violet said quietly and coldly. "Consider yourself the cause of my transformation. It was you who drove me over the edge to become a super-saiyan, and you know it."

            She had moved forward slowly, each step a deliberate step toward him, anger evident in every line of her being. Her right fist clenched, and before the man could blink, her hand was around his throat, constricting his windpipe. She lifted him off the ground, even though he was a full six inches taller than she was, and with her left hand punched him as hard as she could in the solar plexus.

            He managed to get himself out of her grasp in time to collapse on the ground. She moved her right arm to point directly down at him, and then opened her fist so that her palm was parallel to him, fingers splayed. Powering up for a moment, she channeled a large amount of energy into her open hand and blasted it onto his prone form. An explosion followed. When the dust cleared, there was no sign of the man-just a shallow body print of his in the path.

            Violet relaxed visibly, her hair falling down around her shoulders again and returning to its original dusty blond color. She then raced over to where Garion lay still on his side, facing away from her toward the bushes. Gently she rolled him over onto his back and found that he was barely breathing. She looked into his glazed eyes and said, "Garion? Are you all right?"

            He blinked, slowly coming out of his trance. _Wow…I forgot how hard it was to concentrate on those Jedi trances,_ he thought to himself. _I'd better work on that technique. I'll probably need it in the future. "Violet?" he replied, not knowing what else to say._

            "Yes, it's me. Garion, I am so sorry," she apologized, a tear running out of each eye. "I didn't mean for my words to hurt you that much-emotionally and physically."

            He searched her eyes for a moment. Then he lifted a hand to catch a third tear. "It's all right, really. I'll survive." He blinked again and allowed a weak grin to touch his lips. "Looks like I won't be able to beat you in a ten-mile race, then."

            Violet sniffed, then smiled through her tears. "I should have expected that of you: you always seem to find something to make me laugh, even in the worst situation."

            Garion began to try to move himself into a sitting position. "Here, let me help you up," Violet offered.

            Once she had him up, with an arm of his around her shoulders and her arm around his waist, he asked her, "What was it that that man called you before you blew him away?"

            "A super-saiyan."

            "What?"

            "Yeah. Your sacrifice gave me the emotion I needed to unlock my hidden powers and become a super saiyan. Without you I don't think I would ever be able to become one."

            "Really?"

            "Yeah. C'mon, let's get back to the palace and get you cleaned up."

            Violet found that they did not move very fast on the ground, so she paused for a moment. "Garion, hold on tight. This will probably feel very weird to you."

            "O…kay," he said, a bit nervous.

            A moment later they were in the air, Violet flying them back to the palace. Garion's eyes opened wide for a second, but then returned to their normal size. Less than a minute later they were back, and Violet gently touched down. Garion unlocked his arms from around her shoulders and stood up. A second later his knees buckled and he sat down abruptly.

            Violet moved to help him, but he waved his hand at her. "I'm all right. Just give me a minute to get my bearings back."

            Violet nodded and sat down next to him. Then they heard footsteps coming toward them. It was Cass and Tyria. They stopped short when they saw the condition of the two teens' clothes and the bruises on their faces. Cass glanced back at his sister. "What happened? I sensed something…"

            Violet glanced at Garion with a look that asked _Should__ I tell them?_

            He nodded. _Yeah._

            The princess' eyes opened wide in shock. _How…what the…how did you…_

            Garion's eyes were wide open as well._ I…I don't know. This is…what the…how are we…_

_            I feel the same way…do you think it's because…?_

_            Because of our emotional link back there? Maybe…_

_            Oh, yeah. I better get back to my brother's question, shouldn't I?_

_            Yeah._

            Violet took a deep breath and told them the whole story, first asking them to promise not to tell anyone. The two of them listened intently, their eyes getting wider as the story went on. When she finished, Cass asked, "You really became a super-saiyan?"

            She nodded once in reply.

            "So you are the one from the Codex," he said solemnly.

            "I--what makes you so sure…" she began, then trailed off as she realized he was telling the truth. "Can this really be?" she said in a small voice as the historical impact of her transformation washed over her.

            "What are you two talking about?" Tyria asked, hands on her hips, breaking the moment.

            Cass looked over at her. "Have you ever read The Farlae Codex?

            "Yeah. But what does that have to do with anything…?" The young princess' eyes widened as she realized what he meant.

            The prince of Alendre glanced over at Violet. "You're the girl Rile talked about over a century ago, aren't you." It was a statement, not a question.

            _You said that aloud for those two, didn't you?_  Her thought came to him somewhat haltingly due to her inexperience at the technique.

_            Yes._

            Violet shrugged wearily. "I guess so. I can't help but wonder…why me? I mean…"

            Garion moved over to sit in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I know. There is a reason for it. We may not know what it is, but there is one out there."

            His calm logic reassured Violet's shocked mind, and she nodded.

            _It'll be all right, Violet. Don't worry about it._

            She smiled gratefully at him. Shaking her head as if to clear it, she said, "C'mon you guys, let's get back and get cleaned up. There is still the celebration today, and you two will be staying for the next three days, so there's lots to do."

            When they returned, the Winslows and Windwards had arrived, and all four families were shocked at the condition of the four. "What happened?" Garion's mother, Queen Carida, gasped when she saw the bruises and blood on her son's face, as well as the condition of Violet's face and clothing.

            The princess stepped in. "It's a long story. Would it be all right if we cleaned ourselves up before we told it?"

            Her father's eyebrow rose a little at her forward speech, but, before he opened his mouth to protest, decided against it. He saw that there was something different about his daughter. _She hasn't changed in appearance, but she carries herself differently now. As if she were carrying some burden… Then King Ryo realized something. __It's happened, hasn't it? She's the one from the Codex…she has fulfilled the legend…she is a super- saiyan. "All right, Violet. And do take your time."_

            She looked a bit surprised at his easy granting of her request, but nodded and led Garion out of the room. Cass and Tyria remained, both standing there looking at the ground, hands clasped behind their backs.

            Queen Ariana glanced at her husband. "What was all that about, Ryo?"

            "Let her tell you herself."

            She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The other kings and queens could only stand there looking at each other, each feeling clueless. Young Prince Keiran Windward had no idea what to do, so he simply stood next to his mother, Queen Ienne, holding her hand.

            Clearing his throat, King Geran Winslow spoke first. "If you don't mind my asking, Ryo, what was that all about?"

            He turned to face the king of Byrista. "I'm not exactly sure, but my instincts tell me that something big happened."

            Geran could tell that the other king was holding something back, but refrained from dragging it out of him.

            Slowly the small talk resumed, and Cass and Tyria managed to drag Keiran out away from his mother and took him off to play outside. Realizing that whatever had just taken place had happened outside, his father, King Dagan, was reluctant to let them go out, but Ryo reassured him that they would be all right.

            A half hour later, Violet and Garion returned. Idly Queen Serena noted that they looked quite good together, but said nothing of it. She knew that they would be embarrassed if she mentioned it, and smiled inwardly, remembering when she had been that age.

            Violet wore a well-fitting blue gown that matched the color of her eyes perfectly. Sleeveless, it was appropriate for the warm summer day and for their dignified company. Her freshly washed blonde hair was up in a bun, but curled strands hung down from it, making her look older than she really was. A few of the strands came down over her ears as well, giving her an elegant look. Delicate white gloves stretching to her elbow adorned her hands, outlining their slender form. She wore her trademark, a pair of amethyst earrings and an amethyst heart on a gold necklace chain. Though they were purple in color, they did not contrast at all to the deep blue of her gown. She also carried a datapad, which marred her delicate image somewhat.

            Garion wore a bandage around his head, which made him look like he had just returned from a battle. His stylish gray business suit was freshly pressed and cleaned, and his attire also made him look older than he was.

            They sat down in adjoining crimson armchairs. The others followed suit. "What happened, Violet?" her mother asked after a moment.

            For the second time that day, Violet told their story. As her brother and Tyria had done, their eyes got wider as the story went on. Garion offered his perspective at times, and Violet paused whenever he wanted to add something, their newfound link allowing her to know when he wished to speak. The only exception was when she got to the part when she faced off with the other saiyan fighter. Then she rushed through as fast as she could without leaving anything important out so Garion could not interrupt. When she finished, she wordlessly passed the datapad to Garion, who passed it to his father, and it began to travel around the circle.

            On it was the complete Farlae Codex, with the relevant passages highlighted. As each read it, their facial expressions changed from the blank expression one has when reading to one of stunned realization as each came to the same conclusion. When the datapad returned to Violet, her father stood.

            "As you all must have realized, this legend speaks of a young woman being born a saiyan-an extremely rare occurrence as it is-and possessing extraordinary powers."

            They all nodded.

            "It goes on to say that this young woman would become a super saiyan, which hasn't happened for three millennia. I must say that that clock must reset itself, for one has appeared. Not only that, but a legend has been fulfilled today." He turned to face his daughter and held out his hand. She took it and stood. "Here she is."

            Garion looked on at the formality of this event, and was hit again with the importance of it all. He watched Violet stand, and was suddenly filled with a pride and awe that he could not explain-he could explain the awe, but not the pride.

            Violet, as she stood, felt an urge to power up, though she was in formal dress and inside a building-the castle at that. _Aw, what the heck. I'll do it -- I'll just be careful._ A moment later a yellow hue outlined her form, and she let go of her father's hand and took a step back. The hue had changed shape to flame-like, and the energy's force began moving the air in the room around. With her hair fanning gently in the wind she had created, Violet curtsied to the royalty in the room and relaxed. The flames dissipated immediately.

            "She is the one," her mother murmured. The others voiced their assent.

*****

            An hour later the celebration began. After a while, Violet retreated into the background with Garion. They both changed their clothes yet again and went out into the forest behind the palace, glad to get away from everything. They walked the five miles to the sea and played in the surf until it was time to return for the evening's feast.


	3. Chance Meeting

            "Oh, excuse me!" Violet exclaimed two years later as she collided with into someone while walking out of the grocery store, her attention elsewhere.

            "That's all right," the stranger she had bumped into replied. Violet looked up into the kind, naïve face of a young man with a rather interesting-yet somehow familiar-hairdo. "Here, let me help you with those bags," he offered.

            "Thanks," she answered gratefully. He picked up three of her bags as if they weighed nothing and helped her to her car. "I can't thank you enough." _Actually, I would have had no trouble at all carrying those bags, she thought to herself.  _I just couldn't refuse his offer. He was just being nice, I guess…__

            "No problem," he replied, interrupting her musings. "Pardon my being forward, but what is your name? I always like having a name to go with a face."

            _My goodness, he's naïve_, she thought. _Should I tell him my real name? I have no idea who he is, or what his intentions may be. He may be working for those against my parents…just to be on the safe side, I'll give him my middle name instead._

            "Hello?" he asked her, breaking her thoughts again.

            "Oh, sorry. My name's Aria. To return the favor, what's your name?" she queried.

            "My name is Goku."

            Violet glanced at her watch. "It was nice to meet you, Goku. But, I really should be going." She turned to unlock her car, when behind her Goku had a sudden intake of breath.

            "Is something wrong?" she asked him as she turned around, then saw a stunned look on his face. "You look like you just saw a ghost!"

            "Is…is that…a…a tail?" he stuttered, not believing what his eyes were seeing. He rubbed at them as if to clear them, incredulous.

            "Oops! You weren't supposed to see that!" she exclaimed in a rush. _Blast it all to the dark side!_ she cursed silently. _Now what do I do? I guess the best thing to do would be to make sure he's 'on my side,' whatever I make that to mean. Here goes…_

            "Do you…do you fight?" Goku asked her after a pause for him to gather up his thoughts after that shock.

            "How the heck did you figure that?" she replied, stunned.

            "Well, I used to have a tail, and…"

            "What?!? Um…what do you mean by 'used to?'" she responded, clearly confused. She had had no idea that her little trip to the mainland would turn out like this.

            "Never mind. It's a really long story." He paused.

            Violet took advantage of the pause. "Well, I really should be going now…" She turned to unlock her car door, when she stopped abruptly. Goku had grabbed hold of her arm.

            "Wait!" he exclaimed. Seeing Violet's reaction to his stopping her, he hastily continued, "Will you please come with me to meet the others?"

            "I hardly know you…" she began, but she broke off in mid-sentence, her curiosity aroused by his comment. "What do you mean by 'others?'"

            "There's a group of us that have fighting abilities. Not all of them had or have tails, like you and me. I'd like you to meet them."

            "Well…" she stalled for time to think this offer over. _I barely know the guy. Who knows what his intentions may be? I've gotten too interested. I guess I'll go along with it-for a little while._

            "Please?" he implored her.

            "Oh, all right. But it can't be too long."

            "Okay."

            _I'll have to get back to Mother and Father about this! she thought to herself. They will definitely be interested._ She tried to persuade herself, _That's__ the only reason I'm going along with this Goku, to gather information, and that's it. No more, no less. Here goes…_

            "Is it okay if you drive?" he asked her a little sheepishly. "I flew here."

            "That's fine with me," she replied, putting more enthusiasm into the words than she really felt. Getting into the car, Violet driving and Goku in the passenger seat, she began to wonder if this was such a good idea. Driving those thoughts away into an unobtrusive corner of her mind, she concentrated on the directions he was giving her.

            A few minutes later, they arrived at Goku's place. She noticed there were a few other cars there already. _They must belong to those 'others' he mentioned_, she mused. Snapping back to attention just in time to avoid a nearby mailbox, she parked close by.

            When they got out of the car, a little boy, who looked about five or six years old, came running for Violet's new acquaintance. The boy grabbed Goku's pant leg and asked him while tugging on it, "Who is this lady, Daddy?"

            _He has a son?!? Goku looks too young for that. The boy is pretty cute, though_.

            "Gohan, this is Aria, a girl I met today. Aria, this is my son, Gohan," Goku said, introducing them.

            Violet noticed something on Gohan when he turned around: a tail. After seeing this, she quietly asked Goku, "Is that a tail I see on him?"

            "Yes," he answered. "Why don't we go inside? I'll introduce you to the others." Goku, taking his son's hand, turned towards the driveway of his house, with Violet following close behind. "This better be worth it," she muttered under her breath.

            Opening the door, Goku let Violet and his son in first and shut the door behind them. "This way," he said, guiding them to a well lit dining room in which five people were seated, chatting idly with each other.

            "Hey, you guys, I'm back!" he announced to the group.

            "It sure took you long enough, Goku, "commented a young man who, Violet thought, looked a little bit like Goku. Then, noticing Violet for the first time, he asked his friend, "Who's the girl?"

            "Oh, this is Aria. Aria, I would like you to meet Yamcha"-the one who had been speaking earlier-"Tien, Chou-su, Krillin, and my wife, ChiChi," he said, mentioning each of their names as he pointed to them in turn around the table.

            "Sit down, if you wish, Aria," Goku's wife said, directing a look at her husband that said _I'll talk to you later_. Aria noticed the look and Goku's reaction: he scrunched down in his chair a little more. She chuckled inwardly. _She's cordial on the surface, but she's very possessive of Goku. She's probably the same way with Gohan._

            "So, why did you bring her here?" Tien whispered to Goku after he had sat down next to him.

            "She has the power to fight," he whispered back.

            "What?!?"

            "Keep your voice down!"

            "Sorry! But…but a girl?"

            "Yeah, I had about the same reaction-inwardly."

            Meanwhile, Violet was sitting at the table, feeling rather out of place. _Now, just _why_ did I come here again? _she thought sardonically.

            "Hey, Goku--why did you bring Aria along?" Yamcha practically shouted across the table.

            Violet glanced down and Goku reddened a little at the comment. "I brought her here because she has the power to fight." His words brought a stunned silence down upon the group.

            "What…what do you mean, Goku?" Krillin asked him, confused.

            "Allow me to speak for myself." All heads turned towards Violet. She continued, a bit self-consciously, "You see, I have a tail--" Gasps around the table cut her off momentarily. "--and I learned how to wield my power in combat about twelve years ago," she hastily finished.

            The group sat there, stunned into silence. Violet tried to stay outwardly relaxed, taking care to let none of her true feelings show on her face. Inwardly, she was wondering, _Was__ that little speech of mine out of place?_

            Goku cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Now do you see why I brought her here?" he asked the others, seemingly daring them to question him.

            "When did you meet her, then?" Tien asked him, wondering why he had never told them about her before.

            "I met her this morning."

            "Oh," was all he could say in response.

            Goku continued, "I thought it might be a good idea if she trained with us sometimes, you know. I think it would be good to have as many warriors on the Special Forces as we can. Don't you agree?"

            Everyone but ChiChi nodded their heads in agreement, not feeling like arguing the point.

            "So, who wants to try her out?" Tien asked the assembled group.

            "I guess I will," Yamcha offered, thinking she would be a pushover and they would not have to worry about her anymore.

            "Fine with me. Let's go," Violet replied, relishing the opportunity to fight a worthy opponent and being able to show off her skills.

            They headed outside, with the rest of the group following to watch.

            "You first," said Violet.

            "Sure," he answered, smiling inwardly. He dashed for her head on. She vanished, reappearing right behind him and tapping him on the shoulder.

            "Was that your best shot? I sure hope not," she taunted him, hoping to get something more out of him.

            He grumbled under his breath. _How the heck did she do that? he wondered to himself. _I've never seen anything like it, and I don't think the others have either_. He glanced over to where the others were standing. Sure enough, they all had stunned looks on their faces._

            "Okay, okay, you're good. Really good," he admitted reluctantly. "Goku, you were right about her."

            "Thanks," Violet said.

            Goku gave Yamcha an I-told-you-so look.

            Violet looked at her watch. "Yikes! I totally lost track of time! I really have to go."

            "Are you sure, Aria?" Goku asked her, hoping he could persuade her to stay a little longer.

            "Yes. See you around!" She goes out the door to her car, gets in, and starts the engine. Violet looks up to see them waving goodbye. She waved in return, and then backed out of the driveway.

            _Whew! That was weird_, she thought to herself. _I certainly have a lot to tell my parents when I get home. I wonder if I should introduce Cass to them…maybe not. At least not yet._

* * * * *

            Violet drove up to the small one-story house she had bought just for staying at when visiting the mainland. She parked her car into the garage, grabbed the groceries, and walked into the house. Entering the backyard, she did not stop until she had reached her camouflaged X-wing. Carefully the princess took off the netting and replaced it in the storage compartment in the nearby tool shed.

            She gently tossed the food up onto the starfighter and with a strong jump got into her cockpit. She stowed the food in her storage compartment, then lowered the canopy and strapped herself in. The next thing she did was activate the cloaking device. Once her systems showed green Violet triggered the repulsorlifts and rose up off the ground. As soon as she had gained about fifty meters in altitude, she started her sublight engines with twenty-five percent throttle and headed back to Yavinia.

            Thirty minutes later the princess landed at Reilar's spaceport and handed her X-wing over to the trio of techs awaiting her arrival. She grabbed the groceries and allowed a chauffeur to take her over to the palace. The man dropped her off not long after that, and Violet headed for the palace kitchen.

            Her thirteen-year-old brother was already in there, eating a snack. "You must have a bottomless pit for a stomach, Cass," she teased him as she walked through the door.

            He looked up from his food. "Yup!" he agreed good-naturedly.

            She appraised him for a moment. _He sure has grown in the last year, she thought to herself._

            "What took you so long, Violet?" he asked. "Any goodies for me in there?"

            "No, nothing for growing pigs," she said, laughing.

            "Seriously: what took you?"

            "Oh, I got sidetracked."

            "How so?"

            "Well, I accidentally ran into-literally-a guy at the store, and he was really nice about it and even helped me with my bags, though I didn't need any help. Then, I guess he saw my tail, and…"

            "He did what?"

            "Yeah, he saw my tail." Cass' eyes were wide open in shock. Violet continued hastily, "It turned out ok, because he said that he once had a tail, but that it had been removed."

            "This guy is a saiyan?"

            "Yeah. And he knows a couple of other guys who can also fight like we can, but they aren't saiyans."

            "Why doesn't he have his tail anymore?"

            "He never told me."

            "Interesting." Cass glanced over at her. "So, you going to tell the parents?"

            "Yeah, I should, and I will. After dinner," she told him.

            "Speaking of, when is dinner?" Cass asked.

            "Cass!" Violet exclaimed, exasperated, yet laughing. "Didn't you just eat?"

            He looked up at her sheepishly. "Uh…yeah, I guess I did."

            She shook her head. "Silly boy," she said with a grin.

* * * * *

            After a sumptuous dinner in the main dining hall, Violet drew her parents aside into the library.

            "What is it, dear?" her mother asked, noting Violet's frowning expression.

            "Well, you know how I'm a saiyan and stuff…"

            "Yes?" her father interjected.

            "Well, I ran into a guy at the store over on the mainland, and he was nice enough to help me with the groceries-though I didn't need any help-and he accidentally saw my tail…"

            "He what?" King Ryo exclaimed.

            Violet waved her hands around to calm him down. "Let me explain!"

            "Okay, dear," Queen Ariana said testily.

            "It's okay, really. You see, he had his tail removed a long time ago-"

            Ryo interrupted. "He's a saiyan too?"

            Violet nodded.

            He leaned back in his chair a little. "Go on."

            "Well, he took me to his house, where a bunch of other guys were who can also fight this way, but aren't saiyans, and introduced me to them."

            Her father asked her, "How did you introduce yourself to this saiyan in the first place, anyway?"

            "I told them that my name was Aria. That's all they know."

            "Good thinking, dear," the queen complimented her.

            Violet nodded her agreement.

            "Hmm…" King Ryo said thoughtfully. "Violet, I don't want you getting too involved with these people."

            "Da-ad, I can take care of myself," she said, rolling her eyes.

            "What would happen if these people got really strong, fought you, and took you down?" Ariana said worriedly.

            Violet remembered the open, innocent look that came so naturally to Goku and his son, and shook her head. "They would never do that, Mom."

            "But how can you be so sure?"

            "Mother, trust me. I just know they would never do that to me."

            Ryo sat there silent for a moment, deep in thought. Finally, he spoke up. "Violet, I am going to have to put my foot down on this one. You cannot hang out with these people, and that is final."

            Before she could protest, he and her mother stood up and left the room. When they were out of earshot, Violet slammed her fist down on the table, careful not to break the wood. "How can they do something like that to me? It's not fair!"

            "So, what are you going to do, sis?" Cass asked.

            "Oh, I'll go visit them every now and then."

            "You'll what? But I thought Dad just said-"

            "Dad could have said that I can go pick daisies for all I care. There is no way I'm going to let them keep me from ever seeing those guys again. If they met them, they would understand."

            "Well, if you're going to be so stubborn, will you take me to meet them sometime?"

            She glanced over at him. "Sure, if you can figure out a way for both of us to go."

            "All right!" he said, raising his fist in the air.

            Violet laughed, and they left the room together, talking about the fighters.


	4. Close Shave

            "Ariana?" Chief Lyna Smith asked twenty-two-year-old Violet one morning after she answered the phone.

            "Yes?" Violet answered, mentally reminding herself that here she was Ariana Watson and not Violet Wakefield.

            "This is the Chief. Can you come into my office soon? We need to talk."

            "I'll be there in five minutes."

            "Good." Click. Violet sat at her desk, still holding the receiver to her ear, wondering what the Chief could have to say to her. True, she had been a rising star in the agency over the past six months, but had never received a personal call from the Chief before, much less one with this much urgency. Snapping herself out of her daze, Violet slowly stood up and made her way to the Chief's office.

            Hand poised to knock on the door, Violet was surprised to see it open for her. "Ariana, come in!" the Chief exclaimed and ushered the startled young woman inside. "Please, sit down," she told her, hand indicating the plush black chair in front of the ornate oak desk.

            Once she had seen that Violet was comfortable, Chief Smith sat herself down on the other side of the desk. She leaned over toward the twenty-two-year-old detective in a confidential manner, looking toward the window first to see that no one was peeking inside the office. "Are you up to a challenge, Ariana Watson?"

            "Yes," Violet replied promptly. Inwardly, however, she groaned. _What have I gotten myself into this time? _she asked herself. _But, how else was I supposed to answer her question?_

            The Chief folded her hands together and set them in front of her onto her desk, leaning back slightly. "I received a report this morning that was very disturbing. You see, in France they are testing a new weapon that is twice as strong as the atomic bombs they dropped in Japan way back in World War II. What is so special about it is that it leaves no toxic wastes of any kind and restores the area of impact back to fertile flatlands. Substances in the weapon somehow do this. The thing is, it has been stolen. Not only that, but the mastermind behind the weapon was kidnapped. I would like for you to go to France, investigate the area of the crime, and get the weapon and its creator back where they belong."

            Violet was stunned. _She wants me to do this? I'm only twenty-two, and have not really tackled any case of this size! "How dangerous is this case going to be?"_

            "Very, unfortunately. But you are our best, and whoever is out there will probably pay less attention to a woman than a man on his tail. We have collected a set of our finest weapons for your use."

            "Weapons?" Violet repeated, dreading the thought of using a normal Earth-style gun on someone. _Fighting saiyan style with energy is different than this! I wish I had a blaster and not a messy, primitive pistol_.

            "You'll have to protect yourself. We do want you back."

            "When do I leave?"

            "First thing in the morning. Pack tonight. Here are your plane tickets. You're on Delta Airlines' flight 1328, which takes off at 7:30 a.m., gate G14. We'll supply you with funds. A contact in Paris will leave you a message in your hotel room. Oh, you'll be traveling as a reporter for Regional Weekly named Serena Duvall."

            "All right."

            "Good luck, Ariana," the Chief said, both women standing up, and shook Violet's hand. "I know that you will retrieve the creator and his weapon."

            Violet walked over to the door to leave. As she placed her hand on the doorknob to open it, a thought struck her. "One more thing-what is the creator's name?"

            "Aaron King."

            "Thank you." Inwardly Violet was stunned. _Mother said he would be working on weapons technology in Europe, but I thought he would go to __Great Britain__!  Aaron King was not merely a genius renowned over the globe, but worked primarily as Yavinia's Weapons Division Chief, second in her military forces only to the head of the Yavinian fleet and the reigning monarch, Violet's father. He was out in the world to try and slightly advance Europe's technology, because the Island Alliance viewed the United States as too powerful for the world's good. Aaron was also only a few years older than Violet and one of her close friends.  _I always wondered if that was a wise thing for you to do, Dad… now let's see if I can get him out of this apparent mess.__

            She went over to her desk and found cash, a Parisian map, her pseudo identity, and a briefcase with supplies to go with the new identity. Time to become a reporter, Violet, she told herself.

            The next morning she was comfortably seated in a first class seat with breakfast in front of her as the plane flew over the Atlantic Ocean toward Paris. _Dare I eat this stuff? With plane food, who knows what it will be like? Oh, well, here goes._ To her surprise, the food was rather good. With food in her stomach and a long way to go with not much to do, Violet fell to thinking about the past twenty-four hours. _So, I'm now Serena Duvall, behind-the-scenes reporter for Regional Weekly. I'm glad I did a little bit of journalism a few years ago, other wise I wouldn't be able to pull this off in a million years. She then got out her French book and began polishing up on the language._

            Upon reaching Paris, Violet hailed a cab and, in rather good French, told him to take her to her hotel about two miles away. In her room, which pleasantly surprised her to be nicer than she had expected, she found a note with a familiar script. It read:

_I have more info. Chief told me to give it to you. Meet me at the __Eiffel__Tower__ at eight tomorrow morning._

_Your contact "M"_

_            Mark! So that's who the Chief got for my contact. That was nice of her. It will be good to have a friend out here on this hard of a case.  Well, now that I feel better about this, time for food. Violet stuck the note in her pocket and called the desk for room service._

* * * * *

            Precisely at eight the next morning Violet got out of the cab at the south side of the Eiffel Tower with a shoulder bag containing her fake ID, some pencils, paper, and a notebook. She had only gone a few feet when someone grabbed both her wrists from behind her and pinned them behind her back! Violet, freeing her wrists, whirled around to find her face inches away from a man's shoulder. She looked up into the face of six-foot-one Mark Reinard. "Mark! Don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed, her heart pounding.

            "I get you every time, don't I, Serena?" he teased.

            "I should have expected it then, right?" she laughed, pushing him away. _Duh, of course he would have been briefed of my identity. The Chief isn't stupid._

            "What's in the bag?" he asked her.

            "Oh, just my notes. You know, 'reporter stuff'."

            "Ah. So, am I not allowed to look?"

            "No," she said in a teasing tone of voice.

            "Well, then…" and he deftly snatched it from her shoulder and dashed to the nearest bench.

            "Hey!" she exclaimed and chased after him. Mark had begun going through her papers and notes by the time she got there. Violet saw him stick a small envelope inside, but no one else could possibly have seen that because she was in the way. "Please, give that back," she said in a serious tone of voice.

            "Oh, okay," Mark said apologetically. "Have you had breakfast?"

            "Not really. Just a coffee."

            "Then allow me."

            "Why, you don't have to."

            "Well, it's not often that a low guy like me gets to be in Paris with a beautiful young woman, eh?"

            Even though she knew he was teasing her and giving her a compliment at the same time, Violet couldn't help but blush slightly.

            "Oh, no. Handsome guys like you just never get any good breaks."

            Mark laughed. "You could always match me, Serena. C'mon, I know a good place to go for breakfast. Best pastries you'll ever taste."

            "Okay."

            The two agents enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at a small café not too far from the tower. Not often did they get to have fun on a mission. After Mark had paid, they walked back to Violet's hotel. Once there, he glanced down at her before they parted with a concerned look on his face.

            "What is it, Mark?" Violet asked, alarmed at his expression.

            "You really need to be careful out there. It's going to get dangerous. Frankly, I'm worried about you."

            "I'll be fine."

            "Promise me you'll be careful?"

            "I promise."

            "See you back in Arist soon."

            "See ya." Violet watched him as he walked away, touched by his concern. _I hope I can find a guy like him someday… I doubt he'd relish the fact that I'd deceived him all this time and… oh, Violet, snap out of it!  With an irritated expression and a sound shake of her head she headed for the elevators._

            Back in her room, Violet opened up the envelope to read a note from the Chief telling her that Aaron King had been spotted on two occasions in Vienna, Austria. She also read that she was to go there and attempt to find him before his kidnappers got wind of a sighting and moved him. Violet was not to leave until the day after to make it look like she was actually there as a reporter. _Tomorrow, __Austria__, here I come. Oh boy._

* * * * *

            Meanwhile, another agent, this one from England, had been set on the same mission with no knowledge of the Arist Intelligence Agency's (AIA) sending out an agent of their own. Wes Healey, Agent 009, also had learned of the Vienna sighting. Wes, in reality Crown Prince Garion Westland of Alendre, was disturbed. _I have to find Aaron King! And not just because that is part of my mission. If the kidnappers use any sort of interrogation on him, the __Island__ _Alliance___'s countries may be doomed!  …Not that Aaron's easy to break.  But still… oh, blast it, I just need to find him!  He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that he bumped into a young, brown-haired woman in the plane terminal._

            "I'm sorry!" Garion exclaimed, noticing her in his way for the first time.

            "It's all right," she replied, and boarded the plane.

            Garion eyed her as she walked in. _Beautiful girl_, he said to himself. _Wait a minute! Haven't I seen her somewhere before?_ Unable to shake off the familiar feeling, Garion merely shook his head before entering the plane.

            The flight from Paris to Vienna was uneventful. There was one stop during the flight, in Switzerland. Garion took a nap after pushing all thoughts of the young woman to a far, dusty corner of his mind. He woke up when they went through turbulence about an hour before landing.

            As everyone filed out of the plane Garion was surprised to see the young woman in the terminal again. _I thought she had stayed in __Switzerland__. I guess I didn't see her get back on the plane… not that I could really see her from my seat next to the window anyway. I know I have met her before…and I'll figure out who she is, soon…_

* * * * *

            _Haven't I met that guy somewhere before?_ Violet asked herself on her way to her hotel in Vienna, recalling the tall, dark-haired young man who had bumped into her in the plane terminal at the airport in Paris. _Talk about déja vu…whoa… what's this? Suddenly a piece of paper was in her hand. With how busy the sidewalks were Violet could not find whomever it was who gave her the note. Unfolding it, she read: __Carry a weapon, Serena. You are in a dangerous area for your type. "M."_

_            He must have left right after our meeting at the __Eiffel__Tower__, or at least that day, Violet thought after reading the note. _Time to investigate the area_._

            Once she reached her hotel, Violet took a small pistol--PP7 class--made sure it was loaded, then placed it in an easily accessible place in her shoulder bag. She then realized that since she had been taught to draw a gun (specifically a blaster) from her side, it might be easier to put it in a coat pocket. After much deliberation Violet decided to leave it where it was, close to her right hand.

            Then she grabbed a notebook and pen and headed for the marketplace about three blocks from her hotel. Violet said to herself_, I should be able to find out something here_. Taking a picture out of her bag of herself and Aaron on a boat, she began to ask different vendors if they had ever seen him. After about an hour a quick movement caught her eye. _Uh oh, not good._ It's probably one of the kidnappers or their men._ Violet had seen the dark-haired man in the black trench coat earlier._

            "Fraulein?" the vendor she had been speaking with broke into her thoughts. "I seen man you looking for," he told her in English with a heavy German accent.

            "Really? Where?" Violet asked him almost too eagerly.

            "Over east here," he said, pointing. "Go to church, tallest building near. Varehouse next to. Seen him go there. He not come out I seen."

            "Thank you," Violet said gratefully, and out of politeness bought one of the man's trinkets. She turned around and headed for the east exit. Since she had turned, Violet could not have seen the man in the black coat follow her. Nor could she have spotted the vendor she had been talking to get into a cab and leave, taking off his gray wig in the process.

            Violet waited for about five minutes for a cab to come her way. Signaling it to stop, she got in and directed the cabby to her hotel. _He looks slightly familiar…_ she noticed when she got in.

            Garion had been observing her since she had entered the marketplace from a window overlooking it. He saw the vendor leave and take off the wig, as well as the man in the coat follow her. _Why would someone like him be watching her? And what's with that vendor? I better keep an eye on her…_

* * * * *

            In the cab, Violet was stunned to see the car go left and not right as she had requested. "Why didn't you go right?" she demanded of him. "Remember, I'm the one paying you."

            The cabby turned around with a sinister grin on his face and suddenly pulled over to where a man wearing a black trench coat was standing. The man got in next to her. Before Violet could do anything, she was trapped in a viselike grip and a cloth was placed over her face. _Why am I…so…weak…_was her last thought before slipping into unconsciousness…

* * * * *

            Garion ducked through narrow alleyways and dashed across streets as he tried to inconspicuously follow the man in black. _Wherever he is, the girl will probably be close by,_ was the thought that had prompted him to follow the young woman's stalker. Suddenly the man stopped on a lonely street corner and took out a small vial and cloth. He took a deep breath and held it as he poured out some of the contents of the vial onto the white handkerchief. _Huh? He's up to no good…_then Garion barely had time to duck between two buildings as a cab came speeding by. It stopped next to the corner where the man was standing and the man hopped in. As soon as he had shut the door, the cab sped off again. Garion watched the car and, through the rear windshield, saw a brief struggle and a brown-haired form slump forward.

            _Was that the girl?_ he asked himself, alarmed. Without thinking Garion whipped out his skeleton key, broke into a sedan parked nearby, and hot-wired it to start. As soon as the motor turned on he hit the gas and sped off in hot pursuit. The gap between the two vehicles began closing.  _Heh__… all this over some girl… Tyria would be laughing her head off right now if she were with me.  Well, after she had slapped me upside the head at least once.  But I can't shake this feeling… I need to follow her._

            Once he got close to the cab the man in the black trench coat leaned out the right-side window and faced his way. He pulled out a small pistol and began firing at Garion! Ducking, Garion was able to avoid being shot, but three small holes were now in his front windshield and his right rearview mirror was cracked. _I'm sure glad they'll cover any damages_, Garion thought to himself.  _Maybe that's why my parents had me go for the British government…_ His eyes narrowed as a bullet flew past his head.  _Okay, time to get serious._  He began weaving from side to side in order to become a harder target.

_            How the heck did she get involved with this? Who is she? Why are they kidnapping her? And how important is it-whatever she's involved in-that the kidnappers are armed and rather good marksmen? Could it be related to the weapon theft somehow? Garion kept in hot pursuit, his many questions remaining unanswered._

            The cab made a sudden right turn and Garion barely made it, hitting the curb on the opposite side of the road with a screech. Looking in his rearview mirror to make sure no one was after him, he noticed that there were quite a few tire marks on the pavement. He glanced at his speedometer and saw that they were going almost 100 kilometers an hour.

_            Oh, boy. Am I going to get myself killed by chasing after this girl? Besides, I don't even know if the girl in the car is the same one I saw in the terminal. But for some reason I can't stop now. I have to figure out what is up with that man in the coat. …Well… what is up with all of this, actually…_

            At the end of the street a large, old black warehouse came into view. Garion slowed the car because it was a dead end. The cab also slowed, passed under an L-shaped post, and… _Disappeared?_

            Garion cursed and looked around for some sign of what had caused the car to vanish. He had no time to complete his thought before his car plunged downward into darkness. "Right now a light would be nice," he muttered to himself.  He groped about in the darkness to find the switch for the car's headlights. They showed him that he was going down a narrow tunnel, causing him to slow even further and turn off the lights. _Who knows what I'll find at the end of this thing? Better to be safe then sorry._

            After about two minutes Garion noticed a light at the end of the tunnel. It grew larger as he drew closer to it. _Wonder what I'll find here? And where did the cab go?_

            The light he approached showed a huge room full of vehicles of all kinds, but most of them were small cars and cabs. _Where can I go to remain hidden? They have to know I'm here._ Garion slowed the car to about ten k.p.h. and parked a minute later in a side indent in the tunnel wall. He took out his favorite pistol, a silenced PP7, and checked to see if it was loaded. _Good, it's full. I sure hope I don't have to kill with it._

            Garion tried to stay out of sight as he entered the large parking lot. Hugging the walls, he ducked behind garbage dumpsters and small cars. Then, after about a minute of weaving to and fro, he found the cab parking near an open hallway about ten feet wide. He saw the man in the trench coat get out, take the girl out, throw her over his right shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and walk down the hallway out of sight.

            Garion waited until the cab drove off, then entered the hallway after him. He was careful to remain in the shadows. After the man had gone about eighty meters, he entered a side room. The door opened at the sound of his voice. _Oh, great,_ Garion thought to himself. _How am I supposed to get in there now? A movement caught his eye. Next to the door the man in the coat had gone in a building serviceman exited another one. Slipping in behind him, Garion hit him at the base of the head, knocking him out cold._

            Quickly Garion went into the room the unfortunate serviceman had exited, and seeing that it was just a storage room, switched clothes with the man. Fortunately for Garion the man was about his size, maybe a few pounds heavier. He quickly tied the serviceman up, dirtied himself up as would be appropriate, and left with a toolbox in his hand.

            Two guards stopped him not long afterwards. Garion held his breath, hoping that they spoke English.

            "Have you seen a brown-haired man wearing a grey suit sneak by here lately?" the first guard asked him.

            "Ja. He is in the storage room," Garion told them with a German accent, using a Jedi technique to induce them to accept his disguise. "He tried to knock me out, but I knocked him out first. Then I tied him up and came looking for you."

            "Thank you. We will reward you for this later," the second guard said, and they raced toward the storage room. Not long afterwards he heard a shot ring out. _That was too close, he breathed._ They really don't know their people well, do they?__

            Garion peeked through another door's window and saw a hallway identical to the one he was in, except it was a little narrower. Carefully walking through, he saw one person who didn't notice him. He began moving along the hallway, looking for any sign of the girl. Out of the corner of his eye he saw through a window a figure tied to a chair in a small room. He moved over to a vent that obviously needed fixing and began working on it. 

* * * * *

            Slowly Violet regained consciousness. Opening her eyes, she noticed that she was in a small, grey room with only one door. A window opposite the door showed a hallway that had walls identical to the walls of the room. Violet moved her arm and found that she was tied to a chair with rather rough ropes. Turning her head slightly she noticed a man in a black coat standing near her. He was the one watching me! she realized.

            "Ah, so you are finally awake," the man said in English with a slight Russian accent.

            Violet was suddenly hit with a raging thirst. "Water…" she croaked.

            "Oh, yes, you must be thirsty. Strygna does that to its victims."

            _What? They hit me with strygna? No wonder I couldn't resist him. That's the only stuff that can knock me out. Her eyes widened. How could he have known…?_

            The man laughed. "We know who you are, Princess Violet Wakefield."

            She gasped. "How?"

            He didn't answer. A tall, black-haired, beautiful woman entered the room. "Because of me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Rosa Grelyn of Osarian."

            "Osarian? But that's--"

            "A planet in the Expansion Region of the New Republic," Grelyn finished for her. "My people have followed your family from the Journey through the present."

            "Why?"

            "In hopes that your line will vanish from the galaxy."

            Violet suddenly laughed. _The future rulers of Byrista and Alendre are also of the Skywalker line, plus the Academy teachers, not to mention my brother. "Do you really think that kidnapping or even killing me will do that? Tell Gitran he and you are gravely mistaken."_

            Grelyn was taken aback by the force of Violet's comeback, but what startled her even more was the princess' knowledge of her leader. "What? How do you know about him?"

            "I know lots of things, Grelyn," she said spitefully.

            Grelyn's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I'm sure you think you do, proud one."

            "I do not think, I know."

            It took the intelligence agent a moment to regain her composure. "Try this, proud one: the New Republic will fall. Groups are uniting to take it down. Your pathetic Island Alliance cannot prevent it."

            _Obviously she does not know of our fleet on the far side of the moon_, Violet thought to herself.

            "And, we have the weapon, as well as your friend."

            A screen came out of the wall and turned on. In a chair, tied up and bloody, sat none other than Aaron King.

* * * * *

            When Garion heard the girl's name, he gasped. _Violet! Why, I haven't seen her for five years!  She must have dyed her hair or something…and cut it, too. … Though I can't believe I didn't recognize her earlier._ Listening further, he heard Grelyn's taunts and Violet's retort. _Good one, Violet! Then, peeking through a corner of the window he saw Aaron King on the wall screen. Enraged, he thought desperately, __I have to do something!_

            The memory of their telepathic link was in a far, dusty corner of his mind.

* * * * *

            The man in the coat walked over to stand next to Grelyn. He leaned over and whispered to her, "The intruder has been taken care of."

            "Good. Who was responsible?"

            "One of our servicemen. The agent tried to sneak up on him, but the serviceman got him first."

            "He will be rewarded. Now, you know what to do."

            "Yes, my lady." With that, he moved back to his prior position close to Violet's chair.

            Grelyn nodded toward him. He moved to stand behind Violet's chair, as had been ordered prior to this "meeting." Violet sensed his intentions and braced herself. I've had far worse than what's coming in past battles, she told herself. Just as she had expected, a hard blow to the left side of her face came. Violet let no expression show on her face. _I will_ keep my composure.  That's sure to drive her nuts more than anything I could possibly say.  That and… well, using my full powers on them would be overkill.  They must not know about them, otherwise they wouldn't be doing what they are doing.  Unless Gitran loves to employ pretty women without brains.__

            Another blow came, this one to the top of her head. Again, no expression was allowed to show on her face. Violet also did not utter a sound. The man hit her three more times before he stopped in exasperation. A slight trickle of blood was running down her face from a cut over her eye, made by a ring on the man's hand, and one bruise was slowly blossoming on her left cheekbone, but other than that there were no marks on her face at all.

            Grelyn was stunned at first. Then rage overtook her. She had been hoping to get this haughty princess to show that she was all air and no backbone. Grelyn hated to be wrong. Fuming, she ordered her henchman, "Hit her more!"

            Then as shot rang out, and the window shattered.

            "What the…" Grelyn said, startled.

            A serviceman jumped through where the window once was. He ripped off his cap and drew his PP7.

            "No, you won't," he said to the man, pointing his gun at him at the same time.

            Violet squinted at him. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

            He turned his head toward her, gun not wavering, and grinned roguishly. "Of course you do. Remember the 170th anniversary?"

            Recognition dawned on her. "Garion?"

            "Yup."

            Violet laughed with delight. _Even the blood and the bruise on her face don't mar her beauty, Garion thought to himself, admiring her. _

            Violet sensed something amiss. A movement caught her eye. "Garion, look out!"

            Garion dove for the floor half a second too late.  However, the action did cause the bullet go through his right shoulder instead of into his spine. He winced with pain as Grelyn stood over him with a smoking pistol in her hand and promptly used a Jedi pain suppression technique. _Man,_ he thought, recalling the memory that had struck him right as he had sensed Grelyn's movement a few seconds before. _I still have to make her feel like she needs to protect me, don't I?_

            "Garion!" Violet cried out, seeing the blood gush from his wound. Blind with rage, she turned her head toward Grelyn with a look that could kill. The air around her began to sizzle.

            Both Grelyn and her henchman took a step back. Violet was glowing. A yellow light outlined her figure as her hair stood on end. The rough cords of rope tying her to the chair snapped. She stood up, anger evident all over her body. "You are in over your head, Grelyn," Violet said in a cold, quiet voice. The tone in her voice scared Grelyn more than anything else about her.

            The man was cowering in a corner. "Wh-who are you?" he asked, stuttering with fear.

            "Your worst nightmare. Princess Violet Wakefield of Yavinia, super saiyan, at your service." Violet's hand began to glow even brighter than the rest of her. "This is for your hitting me," she told him, and violet energy flowed in a beam from her hand onto the man. He shrieked in agony.

            "Don't kill him!" Garion ordered hoarsely.

            The energy flow stopped immediately. 

            The man shakily stood up and jumped out the opening where the window once was. Violet turned toward Garion and said, "I needed to be snapped out of that. Thanks." She stopped glowing, and her hair fell back down to lie gently across her shoulders. "Where's Grelyn?"

            "I left," she answered over the speakers. "This building will explode in five minutes. Goodbye, Princess."

            Violet gasped. She dashed over, gingerly picked up Garion, and blew open the door with a burst of energy from her right hand. Running through the hallways, she tried every door she came across. None led outside. "Oh, forget it!" she exclaimed. Violet set Garion down and blasted a hole through the high ceiling about ten feet across using the same energy she had used on the man. It showed open, though cloudy, sky.

            "Hang on, Garion," Violet told him after she had picked him up again, and flew out the hole to safety. She had just set him down in an abandoned field nearby when she remembered something. "Aaron!" Glancing down at Garion, she said, "I'll be quick," and flew back to the doomed warehouse.

            He watched her leave, and said to her silently, _Have__ you forgotten this?_

            Violet was so startled she almost stopped in her tracks. _I did. Take care. I'll come back as fast as I can, all right?_

_            Don't worry about me.  I'll be fine.  Just focus on Aaron._

            With a curt nod she flew away.  Concentrating on the task ahead, she soon arrived back at the building. Violet made her way back to the room where she had been tied up to see where Aaron was. She also noticed on the screen that she had two minutes. Aaron, she saw, was in a small room similar to hers, but with a window to the outside. Making her way back outside, Violet dashed all over the place, looking in windows. One minute left.

            Finally, she found where he was. Breaking the glass, she dashed in, zapped his ropes to cut them, and tried to bring him back to consciousness. Thirty seconds. Giving up, Violet slumped him over her shoulder and tried to break out the window to find that it was too small. The door gave her some trouble, but she finally broke it open. Twenty seconds. Violet blasted a hole in the ceiling to find that she had another two floors up to go. Fifteen seconds.

            She kept blasting away until she could see the sky. Five…four…three…she was almost out! Two…one…kaboom! The warehouse went up in a cloud of smoke and fire. Violet was barely high enough to avoid getting Aaron singed by the blast. She flew over to where she had left Garion, mopped her face up a little using a drinking fountain, and took them to where she could get a cab and look "normal."

            "Drive us to the nearest hospital, and hurry!" she ordered the cabbie. He got them there as fast as he could, barely staying under the speed limit, and just in time. Garion was going in and out of consciousness, and Aaron had yet to come around.

            The cabbie helped her bring in Garion first, because he was weakening from the loss of blood. Violet squeezed his hand before the nurse took him away, giving him a little bit of her own energy to ensure a better recovery. Then she helped bring in Aaron, who was taken away quickly as well. Violet plopped down in a nearby chair, weary from the day's excitement. _The strygna must still be in my system. Hey, I never got any water!_ "Nurse, could you get me some water, please?"

            "Ja. Let me clean you up," the nurse at the desk replied in a thick German accent. The nurse brought over a cup of water, some towelettes with betadine on them, and a cloth bandage for the cut above her right eye. When the nurse began cleaning the cut, Violet winced slightly but refrained from making a sound.

            "You are good patient," the nurse told her. "Vat happened?"

            "We were kind of close to the warehouse explosion," Violet said, and the nurse did not ask any more questions, though she realized there was more to it than that.

            After she was cleaned up, Violet looked in a nearby mirror. Ouch, that bruise looks worse than it feels. And I look like a war veteran with this bandage on my head! I hope Garion is doing okay. And Aaron must have a concussion or something. He's been out a while.

            Violet waited impatiently for three hours, getting more worried every minute. Then the nurse that had taken in Aaron came in. "He vants to see you," she told Violet. Violet walked down the hall behind her and was relieved when she heard Aaron's joking voice, "Did you miss me?"

            "Of course not. Why would I?" she teased.

            "What happened?" he asked.

            Violet waited to respond until after his nurse had left. "You remember the weapon theft, right?"

            "Yes."

            "You were knocked out and kept in a warehouse, along with the weapon, in this city."

            "Where are we?"

            "Vienna."

            "That's why there are all the German accents."

            "Ja."

            He laughed. "Where's the weapon now?"

            "Blown up, along with the warehouse. It was a decoy. They wanted to lure me in to try and break me."

            "Ha. I doubt that anyone could break you. Did they use strygna?"

            "Uh huh. I hate that stuff."

            Aaron yawned.

            "You better rest now. I'll come back later."

            "Okay."

            Violet left him, feeling much better. She waited for another hour. Still no word on Garion. _I hope he's okay. I feel so bad. It's my fault that he's injured. And he better be able to use that arm again! That's his dominant arm! If anything's wrong, I'll feel bad forever!_

            _I'll be fine, Violet,_ a voice broke into her thoughts.

_            Whoa…oh, Garion!  … Hi.  Uh… how are you feeling?_

_            Much better. They got the bullet out easily, but I'm still groggy from the operation. Thanks for the energy._

            Violet blushed. _No problem. You rest now, you hear?_

            _Yes, ma'am._ He fell silent, but Violet saw the smile in his statement for a long time afterward.

* * * * *

            The next afternoon both Aaron and Garion were released from the hospital. Violet had spent the time composing a report of her activities-at least the ones the AIA could know-and an expenses report. She also helped Garion write one for the British Secret Service.

            "Wes Healey, 009, eh? Interesting alias. But what's up with the numbers?"

            "I really don't know. So you're the Ariana Watson we've heard of."

            "You've heard of me?"

            "Yeah. Have you heard of 007?"

            "Duh. He's the one they made movies of, right?"

            "Yeah. He's a legend. He isn't alive any longer, unfortunately."

            "Old age?"

            "Amazingly, yes."

            "Wow. So, what have you heard of me?"

            "Oh, just that you're a rising star in the world of sleuthing."

            "Seriously."

            "Actually, that you're one of the best in the business."

            "Really?"

            "Yeah."

            After their release Violet made a long distance call on her private cell phone-one issued her by the Yavinian Phone Company. She called her parents, told them what had happened, and said that she was coming home for a weeklong vacation. Then she called-on a different phone-Chief Smith, who had read her report.

            "Take as long as a vacation as you want. You deserve it. Did you really work with someone from the BSS?"

            "Yeah."

            Violet arranged flights to San Francisco for the three of them. From there they were taken to an isolated cove fortified by Island Alliance forces far from prying eyes for the trip to Yavinia and Alendre.


	5. Changes

Author's Note:  This is the first chapter of Part II.  It introduces April Winslow, and the story will concentrate on her for chapters 5-8.

            Fourteen-year-old April Winslow woke up with a start as her alarm went off. She reached over to her nightstand and slapped down the snooze button to stop the infernal noise. _Why did I set my alarm? _she asked herself. She glanced over at the kitty calendar on her wall to see the date, but it was too far away for her to read it. Looking down, she saw that all her stuff for the day-clothes to wear, books, and her backpack-had been laid out on the floor. Then she remembered something. _Oh yeah! How could I be so forgetful? It's the first day of high school! Yikes!_

            Bouncing out of bed, April turned her light on so she could close the mini-blinds on her window and still be able to see, hurriedly got dressed, and went into the bathroom to work on her hair. _It is_ the first day, so I might as well look a little nicer than just pulling my hair back into a ponytail_, she told herself. Satisfied after brushing it to simply leave it down, she went back into her bedroom to put her stuff in her backpack. She grabbed her shoes on her way downstairs to eat breakfast._

            "You look rather spry this morning," April's mother, Allison Winslow, commented as her daughter came rushing down the stairs. April walked over to the cupboard, got out a bowl and spoon, and sat down to a bowl of cereal. "Are you nervous?"

            "Yeah, a little," April admitted right before she popped a spoonful into her mouth. "Has Dad already left?"

            Her mother nodded. "He had to get to a board meeting, so he left early."

            "Okay." April began to wolf her cereal down.

            "Slow down!" her mother admonished.  "You still have half an hour before you have to walk to school."

            "Aww, c'mon, Mom. Can't you please take me? It _is_ my first day," she pleaded.

            "Oh, all right. But you have to walk from now on."

            "Thanks, Mom!" April said as she finished her breakfast. She walked over to where her mother was sitting, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and dashed upstairs to brush her teeth and wash her face.

            The time between then and leaving went by too slowly for April. By the time they had to go, she was getting jittery. Finally, she climbed into the passenger seat of the family van. Her mother then got in, but before starting the car, asked, "April, do you have everything?"

            "Yes, Mom," she replied with a roll of her eyes, anxious to get going.

            "What about your lunch money?"

            April held up three dollars for her mother to see. "I have everything, Mom. Can we go now?"

            Her mother replied by starting the car and backing out of the driveway. Five minutes later, they pulled up to April's new school, Northfield High. This is it, she thought. April absentmindedly waved goodbye to her mother and walked into the building.

            She opened one of the doors and was greeted by noises of all kinds. So many students were talking and laughing, she wanted to plug her ears to shut out the sheer volume of sound. It echoed off the high ceiling, multiplying the volume. April glanced at her schedule, which also had her locker number and combination on it, and slowly made her way through the crowd to the section where her locker was.

            Getting it open on the second try, she unloaded a few things to make her locker look nice. She put the pictures of her summer vacation and camp and her calendar up with magnets. After a few minutes, she stepped back and was satisfied with the arrangement. She had placed a picture of herself and her best friend, Cara Laurent, at the beach right in the middle to smile at her.

            April looked up at a nearby clock. _Five minutes 'til school starts. I better go find my first period class now.   She glanced down at her schedule to see what that class was. _ English. Fun.__

            She made her way to class without too much trouble after glancing at her map of the school. Walking in, she smiled as a familiar face greeted her.

            "Hey, Cara! I didn't know you were in any of my classes!" she commented as she slid into the seat behind her friend.

            "Yeah, well, I tried to get a hold of you when I got back from Texas, but you had already left for California," Cara said, smiling when she spotted her friend walk in.

            "Oh, yeah! My parents decided -- last minute -- to take a week's vacation right before school started and go there."

            "Cool! Sh, class is starting!" she admonished, holding a finger to her lips.

            At the end of English they finally had a chance to compare schedules. "Yes!" April cheered. "We have science and math together, as well as lunch!"

            "Way cool! Oh, we should probably go. Look at the time," she said as she pointed to the hallway clock.

            "Yeah. See you at lunch!"

            "I'll meet you at your locker, okay?"

            "Sure!" The two friends waved and parted ways to go to their respective classes. April's next class was history. She walked in and, to her dismay, saw no familiar faces to greet her. Sliding into an unobtrusive seat in the back, she got out her binder and tried to look busy. There was an empty seat next to her. A guy slid in next to her, and by the looks of him, he was "popular." _Oh, brother. Did he have_ to pick that spot?__

            "Hey," he greeted her.

            "Hey," she returned, a little hesitantly.

            "I'm Daran Windward. What's your name?" he queried.

            "April Winslow. Nice to meet you," she replied, then turned her head away from him, hoping he would get the message and stop talking to her. Unfortunately, he did not, and kept chatting idly until class started.

            By the middle of the period April was yawning from boredom. _We did this last year in as much detail, _she thought.

            "Aww, man, we did all this last year," Daran grumbled under his breath, barely loud enough for April to hear.

            "You did too?" she asked him, surprised.

            "Yep. I had Dawson for my history teacher."

            "So did I! Did you go to Forest Heights?"

            "Uh huh."

            "I don't appreciate students who talk during one of my lectures," the teacher interrupted.

            "Oops! That's us!" Daran whispered.

            "So be quiet!" April hissed, turning her attention on what the teacher was saying -- or at least acted like she did. She tried to keep with the flow just enough so she could answer a question if called on. A couple of minutes later she yawned again. _Will this class ever end? she asked herself._

            Finally the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. All the teens in the room jumped out of their seats to get out of the class as quickly as they could. April chuckled, realizing that about everyone in there was at least slightly bored with either the subject or the teacher_. Or both._

            Someone came up behind her. "So, what's your schedule like?" Daran asked her.

            _Oh, not him again,_ April groaned inwardly. "Well, here, take a look."

            "Hmmm…cool! We have math and Spanish together too!"

            _Why the heck is he so excited about us having classes together?_ she wondered with an inward frown.

            He continued, "We also have lunch together!"

            She thought fast.  "Oh, hey, sorry, I better go. I told a friend of mine that I would meet her after this period," April lied.

            "Oh, okay. See you 'round."

            "See ya."

            April got through her next two classes without too much hassle. She had P.E. next, in which she found Mariel Anders, a good friend of hers throughout middle school, and in study hall, right before lunch, she found her friend Alice Sterling.

            "Whew!" April sighed as she arrived at her locker with Cara waiting. "I got a book in history and in English! Now my back is going to kill me!"

            "Yeah, I'll be in the same boat by the end of the day. C'mon, April, we better go so we can find a good place to sit -- away from all the strange people, if you know what I mean."

            "Yeah," April agreed. They made their way to the school's large cafeteria and found a place to sit and wait for Alice and Mariel. In a few minutes both girls had joined them.

            "Hey, guys," Mariel greeted them.

            "Hi. How are your classes going, you two?" April asked both Mariel and Alice.

            "Oh, they're okay. Do you have Peterson for history?" Mariel asked them.

            "I do. Man, she's so boring she'll put you right to sleep!" April commented.

            "I know what you mean. Cara, what about you?"

            "Oh, I've got Sanders for history. He's not too bad. At least he makes things interesting," she told Mariel.

            "I have Sanders too," Alice remarked.

            "Here, April, let me compare schedules with you," Mariel said. They held their respective schedules up next to each other.

            "Darn! We only have P.E. together!" April exclaimed.

            "Shoot!" Mariel agreed.

            "Oh, you guys, I had an interesting experience this morning." At April's words the other three stopped talking to listen and looked at her strangely. A bit self-consciously, she cleared her throat and continued, "You see, there was this guy -- who I've never met before -- who sat down next to me in history. He introduced himself and started chatting on as if we had known each other for years. Then he asked to see my schedule, and it seems that we have the same lunch, plus history, science, and math together. Weird, huh?"

            All the girls were staring at her. "Who was this guy?  I mean, what's his name?" Alice asked.

            " Daran Windward, I think..." she trailed off as she spotted their reaction.

            All three of them gasped in unison, eyes wide. "April, he is the most popular freshman in this school!" Mariel exclaimed.

            "What?" April said, incredulous. "You guys are pulling my leg."

            "Nope," Cara told her. "You said he was in your math and science classes, right? Well, we have those two classes together as well. You'll have to prove to me he did that."

            "Don't count on it. He was probably just being weird or random or something.  I bet he won't speak to me again."

            The others exchanged a look that said "Yeah, right."

            All too soon lunch was over. At the end April caught herself looking for Daran. _What am I doing? _she asked herself. _Get him out of your mind, April._

            Cara and April headed to science together. They got there early enough to find two seats next to each other near the back of the room. Sliding in, they plopped their things down and began to chat when a voice broke in.

            "Hi, April." It was Daran again.

            "Hey," she replied nonchalantly. Daran then slid into the empty seat next to April.

            "I couldn't find you at lunch. Where were you sitting?"

            "Over at the round tables near the snack shack."

            "Oh. No wonder I couldn't find you. I was over at the other end of the cafeteria."

            "Class, get into your seats now," Miss Knight broke into their conversation. Daran gave April a "later" signal.

            Miss Knight began to ramble on about what she would expect from the students in the class. Cara took this opportunity to pull out a piece of paper and wrote something down. She passed the paper over to April, who read _Wow! Sorry that we didn't believe you at lunch. You're right; he did act like he'd known you for years. Are you sure you didn't just meet him before this morning and simply never told us?_

            April replied with _I'd never hide something like that from you! You're my best friend, remember? Yes, we did just meet this morning. I can't figure out why he's taken such a liking to me._

_            Neither can I, Cara wrote back.___

_            Hey!_

_            Sorry…didn't mean it quite like that…really!_

_            Uh…huh, April teased._

            The rest of the period went by uneventfully. When it ended, April and Cara stood up, stretched, and grabbed their bags to leave.

            "See ya in math, April," Daran said as they walked out the door.

            "See ya," she replied.

            Cara said, "I'll see you in math too, k?"

            "Yep."

            April then went to her Spanish class. It was boring, too. All the teacher did was go on and on about what they were going to do that year, then gave them a little assignment due next class. She could not wait to get to math. _Wait a sec_, April thought_. Am I looking forward to seeing Cara or Daran? Oh boy. Life is complicated as is without adding a strange guy into the mix._

            About the same thing happened in math as in science. Cara and April sat together, with Daran sitting next to April.

            Right before the bell rang, when the teacher gave them some time to chat before school got out, Daran asked April, "Do you have e-mail?"

            "Yes, why?"

            "'Cause I was wondering if I could have it."

            This surprised April as well as Cara. "Sure." She gave it to him.

            "Cool." He told her his. "Comes from my last name, if you're wondering," he explained.

            April chuckled. "It's cute."

            Right then the bell rang. "I'll e-mail you, okay?" Daran told her.

            "Okay."

            "I better go, April," Cara said. "Want me to call you later?"

            "Yes!" April said fervently. They both laughed as they left class.

* * *

            Once home, April unlocked the door and walked inside. _Sheesh__, I'm glad Mom works too, otherwise I'd be peppered with questions as soon as I walked in the door. This way I get a few hours to recuperate and get my thoughts together before she and Dad get home._

            A few minutes later, after she had had her snack, April pulled out her books and began working on her Spanish homework. The phone rang, and she jumped out of her seat to answer it.

            "Hello?"

            "Hey, it's Cara."

            "I was hoping it would be you!"

            "Wasn't today weird?"

            "I'll say! I have no idea what was up with that Daran guy today. He is so strange. Why did he talk to me so much instead of his other "popular" friends in those classes?"

            "I have no clue, my friend. This is as confusing to me as it is to you."

            "No kidding. I hope it was just a first-day thing and not something he thinks he'll be able to follow up on. I don't know if I can handle an entire year of this kind of thing!"

            "Yeah. Hey, at least I'm in all but one of those classes!"

            "Thank goodness for that, Cara. I think I'd go insane if you weren't there."

            "_Go insane?"_

            "Hey, watch it, girl! I am _not insane!"_

            "Really?"

            "Darn you!"

            Cara laughed. "Hey, April…that gives me an idea."

            "What do you have up your sleeve now?"

            "Well, you could act weird in class, and maybe he'd lay off of you."

            "Uh, no. And ruin all the chances I have to get to know other people in the class?"

            "Good point. Hey, I have to go. My sister is getting home soon and she'll most likely want to use the phone. You are so lucky to be an only child, April."

            "Ha ha. Yeah, I guess I am. See you tomorrow."

            "See ya." April hung up and sighed. _Tomorrow is going to be a long day…_

* * *

            The next two weeks went by more quickly than April expected. She dashed home from school on Monday afternoon and called Alice up as soon as she was in the door. "Have you ever had this much homework?" she asked Alice.

            "Never! I think since we're having a three-day weekend coming up they think we'll use the extra day to work on projects. Sheesh!"

            "I know what you mean! This is only our third week of school and I already have a speech, a book report, a history research paper, and a major science lab assigned -- and they're all due next Monday!"

            They complained to each other for a few more minutes, which April ended by saying, "We should go if we're to get a head start on all this homework."

            "Yeah," Alice agreed. "But you can bet a million bucks it won't be fun!"

            "Same here. See ya tomorrow."

            "See ya," and they hung up. April sighed. _This is going to be a _week_ of long days…_ That night she did not go to bed until after midnight for trying to get ahead on her projects.

            The next day she wearily sat down next to Cara in English. "How late did you stay up last night working?" Cara asked.

            "Until about midnight," April replied, trying to cover up a yawn.

            "Wow! How much did you get done?"

            April perked up as she told her friend how much work she had done. "Well, I finished the book and the report on it, and wrote my speech. I still have to practice it, though."

            Cara whistled, then got a warning look from Mr. Wilson, their English teacher, and lowered her voice. "You got that much done? I'll have to step on it, then. I think -- as a reward for all the work we've done this week -- we should go see a movie or something on Saturday."

            "Good idea! I need a break!"

            "Don't we all."

            After English April was on her way to her locker when she spotted Daran. In the past two weeks they had become more like friends than acquaintances. _Hm_. Isn't it strange that two weeks ago Cara and I were planning on weirding him out so he'd go away, and now we're sorta friends? You never know what may happen in high school. Maybe I'll go say hi to him before I go to class. Heck, he says hi to me in the halls, so why shouldn't I return the favor?__

            She saw him talking to a few of his other "popular" friends. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.  "Hey." 

            He turned, shot her a look of disdain, then turned back to his conversation. _He ignored me, and acted like I was no more than…than a smear on the floor! How rude! Such a… a… a guy thing to do! April thought angrily. She spun on her heel, forgetting the fact that she had come down there to get paper out of her locker, and left for history._

            When she got to class she made sure she sat in a spot where there were no other empty desks nearby. _Why the heck did he do that to me? she fumed.  __What did I ever see in him…_

            She looked up for a moment to see him walk in. Once he spotted her she turned away disdainfully-and made sure it was in exactly the same way he had treated her a few minutes earlier.

            _What is wrong with April?_ he wondered. _Why is she treating me like this? I must have done something to tick her off like this, but what? I better apologize for whatever it was that I did…_

            April caught the confused – _and hurt? – look on his face__. Did I go too far? I sure hope not…_

            The rest of the class period went by uneventfully. Daran did not pay any attention to the lesson-he was too busy trying to figure out how to apologize. April kept her head down, trying to look busy.

            Afterwards, Daran walked over to April's desk. She kept her head turned away from him. He took a deep breath. "Hey, April, I-I know what I did to you," _Whatever it was, he thought, "was wrong, and I'm sorry."_

            April could not keep the words back. "Why'd you do it? So you wouldn't look bad to your 'popular' friends by hanging out with someone who wasn't? Fine. I get your drift," she said angrily as she grabbed her books and backpack and walked off.

            Daran was stunned. _Did I do that? Wait, didn't she come up to me before this class when I was talking to those guys and say hi? I was busy thinking about what Eric had told me… guess I sort of ignored her.  Darn, now that I think about it, no matter how harsh those words were, she was right. Now I really feel bad. I'd better be more careful next time.  Maybe I should stick a note about that in her locker or something. He sighed and left the room to go to his next class._

            At lunch, April was still a little angry about the whole thing. She went to her locker to get her lunch sack. Upon opening the locker door a little slip of paper fell out. It read: _April, I thought about what you said. You're right. I did ignore you.  I didn't mean to, though… my friend had told me something kinda heavy, and I guess I was too busy mulling it over to realize that I needed to say hi back. I'm sorry – I'll try to do better next time.  Honest.  Are we still friends?  His signature ended it, scrawled hastily at the bottom of the page.  _

            The note brought a faint smile to April's face. _He's so nice. How could I have been like that? I guess it all came out for the good. Phew!  I'd better work on that… I jump to conclusions way too easily…_

            She walked over to her and Cara's meeting spot humming a little tune. April was so preoccupied with what had just happened that she ran right into Cara. "What's on your mind, April, for you to be so blind?" she said teasingly.

            April handed her the note. After reading it, Cara asked, "What happened, and what did you say to him?"

            "I'll tell you once we sit down." She continued, after finding a table, "Well, I saw him between first and second periods, and went over to say hi. He was talking to a bunch of his popular friends, so you can see where this is going."

            "Uh huh. Go on."

            "Well, he turned his head around after I had tapped him on the shoulder and gave me a you-are-lower-than-I-am-because-you're-not-popular look. It really got me mad, and so I-"

            "Wait a sec," Cara broke in, "you got mad about that?"

            "Yes," April said hesitantly at the look on Cara's face.

            "I think you like him," she announced.

            "Heck no, my friend," April denied with a solid shake of her head. "I don't think I would _ever like a guy like him."_

            Cara examined her friend's face for a moment. "Are you sure?"

            "Positive."

            "Well, if you say so…"

            "I do," April said forcefully before changing the subject.

* * *

            Later that day, after school, April sighed as she shut her locker and made her way to the front entrance for her walk home. _Why do the teachers here at this school love giving out homework? As if I'm not busy enough already…_ Her thoughts were interrupted by Daran's voice.

            "Hey, April. Are things okay now?" She turned around to see Daran standing there with a small bouquet of wildflowers he had bought at the grocery store located a block down the road.

            "Yeah." April glanced suggestively at the flowers.  "What are those for?"

            "Oh, these are for you," he said, handing them to her.

            "Really?" On impulse, without thinking, she gave him a quick hug. "Thanks!" she said. "See ya tomorrow?"

            "Yep. See ya, April."

            April walked home with a spring in her step, whistling a happy tune. Daran watched her walk off, glad that it had ended so well. _Hm__…and she even gave me a hug. I'm glad I gave her those flowers, then.  Everything must be just fine._


	6. The Newcomer

            "Oh, dear! I'm going to be late for school!" April exclaimed the next Monday morning. She had just glanced at a nearby clock and realized that she had ten minutes until school started and was only halfway ready for her day. She still had to pack her backpack and grab something to eat. "Mom!" she yelled down the stairwell, "can you drive me to school today?"

            "Sure, April," her mother replied. "You know you only have ten minutes until school starts."

            "Yes, Mom," she said, exasperated. April grabbed her books, nearly tripped over clothes she had left out the night before, and dashed down the stairs. She snatched a muffin from the pantry, hurriedly put on her shoes, and dashed out the door with seven minutes left. "Whew!" she said when she plopped down into the passenger seat of their family van.

            Arriving at her school, Northfield High, with two minutes to spare, she dashed for her locker to put away the two books she did not need until the afternoon. Getting it open on the third try, she tossed her books in and went as fast as she could towards her first class without attracting unwanted attention.

            "Hey, April, you look a little out of breath!" Cara commented as April slid into the empty seat next to her. "What happened -- did you wake up late or something?"

            "How did you guess?" she responded sarcastically.

            "Just lucky," she giggled. "Really, did you forget to set your alarm or something?"

            "Actually, I slept right through it," April said with a sheepish look on her face. "Shh! The teacher's glaring at us!"

* * *

            "So, April, what are you going to do for your fifteenth birthday?" Cara asked her while they waited in the lunch line a few hours later. "You know it's in only two weeks."

            "I'm not sure yet," she replied, going forward with her tray to hand in her ticket. "What do you think? Should it be an afternoon thing or a sleepover?"

            "I think it should be a sleepover with us two, Alice, and Mariel. What do you say about that?"

            "Sounds good to me. We should go see a movie after we eat dinner, then go upstairs and play games and pig out on goodies 'til late. I'll have to talk it over with my parents first, of course."

            The two friends continued planning April's party for a while after sitting down at a table to eat. Then Mariel and Alice walked up with their trays.

            "What's up, you two?" Mariel asked as she sat down.

            "Oh, just planning my birthday party," April informed her.

            "What do you have planned so far?" Alice queried.

            April and Cara outlined their plans to the other two, who nodded.

            "Sounds good to me," Mariel said.

            "Ditto," Alice told them.

            The four were deep into their conversation when someone walked up. "Hey, April," Daran greeted her.

            "Hi, Daran," she greeted him in return.

            Without an invitation, he sat down in an empty chair across the table from her after giving a cursory wave to the other three. "What did you get on that math test?" he asked.

            "An A. Why?"

            "Really? Gosh, I studied for, like, three hours the night before and got a low B. How did you pull it off?"

            "I don't really know. I guess I'm a good test-taker, if you know what I mean."

            "Well, since you're so good at math, can you help me a little with it?"

            "What do you mean? I help out every math class, you know."

            "Oh, well, what I mean is like before school. I really don't like geometry."

            "Neither do I, if you'd believe it."

            "You don't? Weird." He shrugged. "Oh well. Will you do it?"

            "What? Oh, yeah, sorry. Sure. Which days are best for you, or should I ask which mornings?"

            "Wednesdays and Fridays are best for me."

            "That works. See you in science."

            "See ya." He then headed off towards another table where a bunch of his friends were seated and started talking with them.

            Her three friends had been intently observing April the whole time she had been talking to Daran. "Sheesh, April, he's really taken to you, hasn't he?" Mariel commented.

            "I guess. He's actually a kinda nice guy, once you get to know him."

            "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had a crush on him," Alice said.

            "Well, you do know better, don't you?" She sighed and shook her head sadly. "I can't believe you guys are still off on that silly idea. He's just a guy who I happen to be friends with. End of story."

            Knowing that April got testy when contradicted on this subject, Cara steered the conversation back to the party, and the rest of the lunch period passed without incident.

            "Thanks for the save back there," April whispered to Cara on the way to science.

            "No problem. What's a friend for?" she replied with a wink.

            Their next class was science. Miss Knight decided that day to assign partners. The class groaned in unison at the announcement of not being able to choose.

            "And, class, you have this partner until the end of October," the teacher added.

            The entire class groaned again at the prospect of being stuck like that for a whole month. April listened intently for her name, hoping she would be assigned to someone she knew. She was not that lucky.

            "April Winslow and Darion Chiba, you are partners," Miss Knight told her. April groaned inwardly. _Who is this Darion? Oh, yeah, the really tall guy who has to sit at the back of the class so he's not in people's way. Poor guy._

            "Hi, Darion. I'm April," she introduced herself to her new partner.

            "Hey, April," he replied strongly. _He's definitely not shy, she thought._

            "So what's the plan for today?" she asked him, for he was the one who had picked up the lab sheet.

            "We get to do stuff with flashlights and paper filters. Fun!" he told her sarcastically.

            "Oh, boy," April said.

            To relieve the boredom of this lab, made easy by Miss Knight so they could "have an easier time getting to know their partners," they chatted idly about school and little tidbits about themselves. April learned that Darion already had his permit, was pretty old for his grade -- his birthday being July 28 -- and was also a 4.0 student. He also told her a little about some junior high friends he had made.

            This passed away the time, and by getting to know each other slightly, they both opened up enough to have a few laughs to keep from falling asleep of boredom -- they finished almost half an hour before the rest of the class excluding Cara and Daran's pairs. All too soon class was over.

            "See you tomorrow, Darion," April waved.

            "See ya," he replied.

* * *

            "That was a pretty good movie, don't you think?" April asked her three friends two weeks later on the ride back to her house after going to a movie on the night of her party.

            "Yeah. It was so funny when they started the food fight in the cafeteria over that silly little thing!" Alice remarked, chuckling. They all laughed with her.

            "So, what are we going to do when we get back, April?" Mariel asked.

            "Well, we'll probably either have cake then open gifts, or open gifts then eat cake. Which do you guys prefer?"

            "First gifts!" the three girls exclaimed in unison, clutching their stomachs.  Laughter burst out from all four.

            "Then opening gifts first it is!" April announced, still laughing.

            When they got back to April's house, they climbed out of the car and headed for the living room, where the gifts were.

            April opened the first gift's card. "This one's from Alice," she announced as she began to meticulously take off the wrapping paper.

            "Oh, please, April, we know you're a perfectionist, but this is ridiculous! Why don't you have some fun and rip it open?" Mariel cajoled her.

            "Okay!" She then attacked the paper furiously. "Oh, Alice, this is perfect!" She brought out of the box a small leather purse. "And right when my old purse is falling apart!" she exclaimed. April leaned over to give her friend a hug. She then reached for the next gift. "This one is from Mariel." Tearing off the paper, she discovered a kitty poster, nail polish, and a pair of beautiful earrings. "Thank you very much!" She got up to give Mariel a hug as well.

            "Now the one from Cara." April tore off the wrapping to find a sparkling necklace and a small gold plaque that said, "We'll always be friends." "Cara, this is beautiful!" She gave Cara a big hug, and then asked her friends, "Are you guys hungry yet?"

            The rest of her party went by in a blur for April, what with the games, the laughter, and all the fun they were having. All too soon they were yawning crazily and decided to crawl into their sleeping bags. The next morning, they woke up to the smell of pancakes and frying bacon. The four girls ate a large breakfast and went back upstairs to change and put away their stuff. After two hours went by of playing card games together, the doorbell began to ring. It seemed to April that in a span of five seconds her three best friends had said their thanks and goodbyes and had gone.

* * *

            The Wednesday after her party was her actual birthday. April arrived at her locker to find that it had been decorated with wrapping paper and had a sign that read "Happy 15th Birthday, April!" on it. In her first class of the day, English, Cara brought her balloons and had the class sing "Happy Birthday" to her, much to her embarrassment. Then Daran turned on her and did the same stunt in math.

            Darion had stopped by to congratulate her as well. April was surprised, for she had only known him about three weeks_. Nice guy to have remembered, she thought._

            After her last class, April got her books from her locker and sighed wearily. _Sometimes having lots of people wish you happy birthday can be tiring, she thought. It'll be nice to get home and crash._ Sighing again, she packed her backpack and began her walk home. Halfway to her house, she heard someone calling her name.

            "Who's there?" she called out.

            "Look down here," the voice replied.

            April looked down to see a calico cat, but no people. "Where are you?"

            "I'm right here." When she looked down again, there was the cat. "I need to tell you something, April." Was that her imagination, or did that cat just speak? "Yes, I'm the cat."

            April screamed and ran the entire rest of the way to her house, only slowing when her house came into sight. _Whew! That was freaky. I hope that was only my imagination._

            She went upstairs to her room breathlessly after grabbing a snack and plopped down on her bed. Getting her history book out, she started to work on her homework. An hour later, she heard someone calling her name... someone calling her name with an oddly familiar voice. Suddenly realization dawned on her. She looked over the foot of her bed…and saw the same cat she had seen while walking home from school.

            "April, you have to listen to me," the cat said.

            April was too confused out to argue. "Okay, whatever."

            "My name is Vega. I'm your guardian."

            "My what?"

            "Your guardian. Here, take this." The cat pawed her a small violet gem.

            "What's this?"

            "It's something you need. Let me explain. Pick this up, raise it into the air, and say this phrase: Corusca gem power!"

            April was clearly confused, but she decided to do it. "Corusca gem power!" Suddenly she felt something click in her mind. It felt natural to her. She was then wreathed in a violet hue. After a few seconds, the violet hue faded. April turned to look in the mirror, for what reason she did not know. "Whoa! Where did this outfit come from?" she wondered aloud.

            "This is your other identity, April -- Sailor Nova."

            Sailor Nova. The name also clicked in April's mind. _Hmm…this seems as natural to me as being able to read quickly. I wonder why?_

            "Sailor Nova -- you have a job to do. There are other girls like you who are also called Sailors-there are five of them, and collectively they are called the Sailor Scouts. Your job is to be a "hidden advisor" to them."

            "What do you mean by "hidden advisor"? And what am I supposed to 'advise' them about? You know I'm new to this, Vega." _Here I am, conversing with a cat. Where did my sanity go? I won't answer that…_

            "You will be a voice, and a voice only -- for a little while -- and you will help them do the right things. Sometimes you will be unable to help. Here are pictures of the five Sailors." Star pawed April some photos.

            "They look younger than I am. Are they in junior high or high school?"

            "They're in junior high." _Junior high…now where have I heard of someone having friends in junior high that are girls? I'm going to have to think about that a bit more…_

            "How long do I have to be 'hidden'?"

            "I'm not sure. I'll tell you when the time is right to reveal yourself."

            Thus began the training of April Winslow into Sailor Nova, as well as Serena's "shadow advisor." Vega told her about the Scouts' previous experiences and the different things their opponents had been after.

            "So…it sounds like I'm kind of a soldier, if you know what I mean."

            "Well, yes, in a sense. You're actually more like a warrior."

            "That sounds cool. Do I ever get to fight?"

            "You must at times. Your powers are much greater than those of the other Sailors."

            "That's a good thing, right?"

            "Yes. Oh, and you can't, for whatever reason, tell your friends about your being Sailor Nova."

            "What? Why not?"

            "There are, like I said, evil forces at work out there. They will do whatever they can to cripple or even kill you -- even by using those who are closest to you."

            "Ouch. Thanks for warning me, Vega."

            The cat nodded, then curled up on the end of April's bed and went to sleep.

* * *

            At about seven thirty that evening April was just finishing her homework when her new cat spoke up. "April, I think you're needed."

            "Needed? As in Sailor Nova is needed?" _Man, this is still so new to me. And now I have to go fight? This is going too fast…I can't keep up!_

            "You won't have to fight, but your role as the Shadow Advisor is needed."

            "Okay."

            Star then proceeded to explain to April how to hide herself in shadows and how to translocate.

            "Translocate?"

            "To go immediately from one place to another. It will come in handy often."

            "O…kay."

            A few minutes later, Vega said, "Now, you're ready. Near the square by the library is a grove of trees. You can hide there. The battle will be taking place in the square. You'll probably itch to fight, but resist the impulse. You're not needed that way…yet."

            April grasped the gem and declared, "Corusca gem power!" As soon as she had transformed, she formed the image of the grove of trees in her mind and used the translocation technique. Immediately she was there…

* * *

            The Negaverse soldier threw another blast at Sailor Moon. She barely ducked in time. Her four friends, the other Scouts, had already been attacked, each in turn, and been overpowered by this soldier. Sailor Moon was beginning to despair. _How long can I outrun this monster?_ she wondered, frightened. _And, for some reason, Tuxedo Mask hasn't come to help. Where could he be?_

            Another blue bolt arced out from the soldier's hands. This time he hit Sailor Moon. "Aah!" she cried.

            Suddenly a voice came out of nowhere. "Be strong, Sailor Moon. You can do it. Remember your friends," it told her_. What the… she thought, then the voice intruded into her thoughts. "Look out!" it warned._

            Sailor Moon then saw a purple ring thrown at her. She ducked, and it whizzed by her left shoulder. "All right, that's enough," she announced. She raised her scepter and threw the energy from it at the soldier. It surrounded the being from the Negaverse, and, with a scream, he vanished.

            "Nice job, Sailor Moon," the voice congratulated her. She realized it was a girl speaking.

            "Who are you?" Sailor Moon asked her.

            "You may call me the Shadow Advisor," the voice replied. She looked up towards the source of the voice and could detect a faint outline on a high branch in the tree. "I will be here as often as I can to help, but don't count on me for everything. Keep a sharp lookout for any other soldiers. You don't need me anymore. Your friends are recovering. Goodbye." And, with that, there was a faint rustling of the leaves as the outline fizzled and vanished.

            "Who was that talking?" Sailor Jupiter asked her friend, a little dazed. "I thought I heard a voice."

            "You did," Sailor Moon answered. "It was a girl who called herself the Shadow Advisor. It's a good name for her because all I could see of her was her outline. From what little I saw, though, she had an outfit like ours and shoulder-length hair."

            "Luna," Sailor Mercury asked one of their guardian cats, "do you have any idea as to who this Shadow Advisor is?"

            "No, I don't. This is news to me as well as to you, Scouts. We'll have to do some research on the subject."

* * *

            The next day, as Serena was walking home from school, she spotted Darion. Then she noticed that he was walking with another girl. Serena started fuming. "Hey, Darion!" she called out to him as cheerfully as she could.

            "Hey, meatball head," he answered, calling her his usual nickname for her because of her hairstyle.

            "Who's that with you?" Serena asked innocently.

            "Oh, this is April. April, meet Serena."

            "Nice to meet you, Serena," April greeted her. _Wait a sec…Serena is one of the girls in the pictures Vega showed me! She's Sailor Moon! And friends in junior high…Darion? He knows the Scouts? But does he know that they are Scouts? Or is he just a friend?_

            _That voice sounds slightly familiar_… Serena thought, but she pushed it aside and focused her full attention on the two people she was with.

            "So," Serena began, "How do you two know each other?"

            "We met a few weeks ago when we were assigned as each other's lab partners in biology."

            "Oh," was all Serena said in reply. "Well, I better go."

            "See ya, Serena," Darion said.

            "Nice spending time with you, Serena," April added. _Definitely…_

            They went their separate ways, Darion and April resuming their conversation and heading for a café, and Serena going to Raye's temple, where there was going to be a fire reading. She was still fuming. _Oooh, who does that girl think she is, stealing my Darion!_

            When she got there, the other four were already gathered. "Serena, you're late again," Raye told her.

            "I know, I know," she replied irritably.

            "Hey, what's the problem, Serena?" Lita asked her.

            "Nothing, nothing. Let's get on with this." Serena answered her, avoiding the question.

            When they asked the fire what this soldier meant, they got a surprising answer. "Do not pay any attention to the soldier. It has been defeated. Do, though, listen to the Shadow Advisor and do what she says." Then the flame went out.

            "Huh?" Raye said, confused. "But that's not what we asked."

            "I know. Serena, tell us more about this advisor person," Amy added.

            "Well, I couldn't see much of her, just her outline. She was sitting up in the tree nearby. It's as if she was there in the place of Tuxedo Mask."

            "What?" the other four exclaimed in unison. Serena opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a voice -- a cat's voice.

            "Listen to what you have been told from the reading. It is all you need to know-for now." They looked up to see the outline of a brown cat on a shelf near the door. Then it jumped down and disappeared.

            "Weird," Nina said after a moment of stunned silence. "A cat and a girl advisor -- what's next?"

* * *

            Lita looked outside at the gray November sky. "Wow, where did this storm come from?" she asked herself aloud. Water was cascading down the window in sheets.

            "No kidding," Amy agreed, sitting next to her at the table by the window. "Hey, look down there," she said, pointing to two figures on the sidewalk two stories below. "Isn't that Serena and Darion? What are they doing out there in this rain?"

            "I don't know. I thought they had broken up. Are they off or on?"

            "I think they're off, Lita, but Serena keeps bumping into him -- and, surprisingly, by accident."

            "Strange. I wonder what they're doing. They look like they're in a hurry."

            "That's because they are." A new voice broke into the conversation. Lita and Amy whirled around in unison and saw a hooded figure standing near them-who had come in without their knowledge.

            Lita was about to say something, then stopped. _Where have I heard that voice before? she wondered. Wait a sec. Isn't that…?  Her face lit up as the light bulb clicked on in her mind. "Say, aren't you the Shadow Advisor?" she asked the hooded person._

            "You're very shrewd, Lita.  Now, I've come to tell you something, something you must not tell any of the other Scouts, especially Serena."

            The two girls were bewildered, to say the least. "Okay," Amy responded, not knowing what else to say.

            "All right, then. I'm going to tell you why Darion broke up with Serena. It's not because he doesn't like her anymore. Oh no, it's quite the opposite. You see, Darion had this vision. A vision of impending disaster. In it he saw Serena as the Moon Princess, and the ground below them breaking up, as in an explosion. Then he saw her vanish underneath the rubble.

            "Let me get to the point. He believes that by staying away from her, he'd be able to protect her. The only problem with this is he was her boyfriend. Darion realized that in order to protect her -- to keep his distance -- he'd have to break up with her and lead her to believe that he doesn't care for her any longer. You have no idea how much it hurts him to do this." The Shadow Advisor then sighed, and paused for the two girls to say something.

            "How do you know all this?" Amy asked her.

            "I just do," was her simple reply.

            "When you arrived," Lita began, "you said something about their being in a hurry. Why did you say that?"

            "Oh, trust me, they're in a hurry. Serena's mother was supposed to pick up Rini, but she had something to do. So she called Serena up and told her to get Rini for her. Serena went to where Rini was supposed to be, but she was gone! Rini had been scared by the storm, and so she took off crying. Serena had gone off to look for her with Luna when she bumped into – literally -- Darion. She told him what had happened, so they dashed off to look for her."

            "Oh, no! Lita, shouldn't we go and help?" Amy asked her friend.

            "Yes! C'mon, let's go!" she replied urgently.

            "A word of warning, Scouts -- be careful. The Negaverse is at work here," the Shadow Advisor cautioned them.

            "Don't worry, we will," Amy called back to her, the two already out the door with jackets in hand. The door slammed soon after they had left.

            The Shadow Advisor sighed and threw back her hood, revealing herself as Sailor Nova. _How long do I have to do this? _April wondered, exasperated._ I won't be able to stand keeping myself a secret for much longer!  With another sigh, she placed her hood back on, and with a sweeping motion of her cloak, vanished._

* * *

            Lita and Amy ran for fifteen minutes without stopping. They finally had to pause to catch their breath. Sitting down wearily on a nearby bench, they took a break. Suddenly, they heard a cry from their right. A young girl's cry. Rini's cry.

            "Oh, no!" Lita exclaimed. "We've got to do something!"

            "Let's go check it out first," reasoned the ever-cautious Amy. The two went to their right and peeked through the bushes. Sure enough, there was Rini, huddling behind some short trees. They looked further, and saw Serena -- as Sailor Moon -- and Darion -- as Tuxedo Mask. They were fighting another Negaverse being, one with the power to make thunderstorms.

            "So that's were this storm came from," Amy commented.

            "Yeah," agreed Lita. "We've got to help them!"

            They grabbed their icons' handles, raised them up in the air in unison, and cried out the phrase to transform themselves into Scouts. Amy shouted "Mercury star power!" and a blue hue enveloped her. Lita's phrase was "Jupiter star power!" and a green hue enveloped her. Within two seconds the hues faded, and out came Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter. They jumped over the hedge and into the fray.

            Within minutes it was all over. Sailor Moon was a little drained, Tuxedo Mask had vanished, and Sailor Mercury went over to see if Sailor Moon was all right. Sailor Jupiter went over to where Rini was and took her hand, helping her up.

            "How did you guys know to come?" Sailor Moon asked them.

            "The Shadow Advisor came and told us you were trying to find Rini, so we decided to help you. It was pure luck that we heard her cries," Sailor Jupiter responded.

            "The Shadow Advisor, huh? I wonder who she is…" Sailor Moon trailed off, then spoke up again a moment later. "Let's go, you guys. How does hot chocolate sound?"

            "Yes!" they exclaimed together. Changing back into their everyday clothes and out of their Sailor outfits, they jogged off in the direction of Lita's house, which was closest.


	7. Everyday Life

            "Hey, Cara," April greeted her friend the next day as she sat down in science. "Where were you this morning? I didn't see you in English."

            "Oh, I came to school at the beginning of fourth period because I had a dentist's appointment," Cara informed her. "Can you tell me what we did in English?"

            "We just watched a video -- no notes, amazingly -- and proofread our rough drafts for the paper due next week. You didn't miss much. I almost slept through the movie!"

            "Well, I pretty much did. I slept in until the end of first period."

            "Not fair! I guess I'll have to make sure my next appointment is in the morning like that!"

            The two girls chuckled. Then a new friend of theirs, one whom they had just met two weeks previously when he moved there from Lake City walked in. Cara turned her head away from him for a second so only April could see her blush.

            "You-you like Brian?" April asked her incredulously.

            "Not so loud!" She paused. "Yeah, I guess."

            "You've only known him for two weeks!"

            "So?"

            "Hey, Cara, April," the new student, Brian Fulbright, greeted them a moment later.

            "Hey," they replied.

            "Is the at-home lab due today, Cara?" he addressed her.

            "No, it's not due 'til next Monday. Why?"

            "Oops. I did it last night, thinking it was due, and stayed up until midnight doing it!" he laughed.

            They laughed along with him. So did Daran, startling them, for he had walked up from behind without them noticing.

            "Class, sit down. Open up your books to page 324. Begin reading about the ocean and answer the questions -- all of them -- on page 330," their teacher, Miss Knight, interrupted. "You have half the period to do this."

            The class groaned after noticing the amount of work those questions contained.

            "But," she continued, "you may work in groups of three or four to answer the questions. There will be fifteen minutes of reading, then you may discuss quietly among yourselves."

            An audible sigh rippled across the room. For the next fifteen minutes all that could be heard was the occasional turning of a page. Then Miss Knight cut in, "Now you may work on the questions. But if it gets too loud, you have to work alone and without talking."

            Half the class mumbled, "We know, we know."

            "Are you done yet, Cara?" April asked.

            "Almost -- just a sec. Okay, done. How about you guys?" she addressed both Brian and Daran.

            "Yeah, we're done. Just waiting for you slowpokes to catch up," Brian teased.

            April gave him a mock-punch in the arm. "Really? Then why is your finger still in the book at page…329?" she teased him back.

            "Because…umm…I haven't finished?" he said timidly. The other three laughed.

            "We'll just tell you about it as we go along, Brian," Cara told him.

            "Sure." The four, now called "The Fearsome Foursome" by the rest of the class, including stern Miss Knight, got to work. As usual, they were the first ones done with the assignment, and had it turned in with ten minutes left of class.

            "Since you four are so quick, you may start on tomorrow's assignment now. Only do the write-up: we'll do the actual lab in class," Miss Knight told them, then left the table they were working at to answer a question from another group.

            April looked down at the sheet. "We're going to do stuff with oil and water? Of course we know they don't mix! What kind of a lab is this?"

            "Oh, crud -- it probably has something to do with oil spills in the ocean and how bad they are for the wild life. More environmental lectures," Daran sighed.

            "Argh!" the other three groaned in unison. But, they got to work, getting it almost done by the time the bell rang.

            "See you guys in math, kay?" Brian asked.

            "Yeah," they replied, going their separate ways.

            April paused before leaving the classroom, glancing at the desk that had been empty the entire period.  _I wonder where Darion was today… _ With a shake of her head she put her train of thought back on her next class.

* * *

            April walked out of the school's front doors into the cold November sunlight. _Brr… she said to herself, shivering. __I should have brought a sweatshirt, at least. After walking a block or so, she met up with Vega._

            "Hey, Vega. Anything new with the Scouts?"

            "No, not much. Yesterday was the only big thing that has happened in the past few weeks. I think they're taking a break to gather resources or something."

            "That's a bad thing, huh?"

            "Yes. If it's resources they're gathering, there could be a major attack in the future. But, if they're just stopping for a while to 'catch their breath,' then that would be better. Still bad, but not as bad as the other possibility."

            "Oh, boy. Can we get home now? I'm freezing!"

            "Really? I didn't think it was cold out here."

            "That's because you have a constant fur coat that you can't forget at home," April muttered under her breath.

            "What was that?" Vega queried.

            "Just thinking about hot chocolate," she lied. "Hurry up!" She raced the remaining five blocks to her house at the thought of getting warm. "Hi, Mom," she called up the stairs.

            "Hi, dear. How was your day?"

            "Pretty easy. Do we have any hot chocolate?"

            "Yes, in the pantry. I noticed you left your coat. Aren't you cold?"

            "Yeah, but I'm warming up. Can I turn on the fireplace?"

            "Yes."

            April sat down at her desk, which had been moved into the family room where the gas fireplace was just for this reason. After spilling out the contents of her backpack onto the surface of the desk, she began to retype on her computer her paper that was due the next week. _If I get ahead, I'll have more time to go shopping to get some Christmas presents early_, she told herself. April turned on her CD player and hummed along with the music as she typed.

* * *

            "I can't believe that Christmas break is in two weeks!" April exclaimed to Cara three weeks later during math class. "I can't wait!"

            "Neither can I. April, do you get this radicals stuff? Geometry isn't my strong point."

            "You and Daran both. At this rate, I'll end up teaching a class all by myself! You, Daran, and sometimes Brian…" April watched her friend's face for a reaction, and was rewarded with a blush. "Gosh, Cara, you're really hooked on him!"

            "Be quiet," Cara said crossly.

            Immediately April realized she had hurt her friend's feelings. "Aww, Cara, I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

            "Yeah," Cara said.  She looked down.  "What do you think?"

            "What do I think of what?"

            "Well, do you think he likes me?"

            "I don't know. It's hard to tell. He does talk to you a lot, but don't be too anxious, Cara."

            Cara sighed. "I just hate not knowing."

            "Hey, guys," Brian and Daran greeted them as they walked up a moment later. "April, do you get this stuff?" Brian asked her. "It's confusing…" and he trailed off when Cara and April broke out laughing. He asked, "What's so funny?" and they laughed harder. Between laughs, Cara said, "April--maybe you--should--become a--math teacher!"

            "Do you understand any of this?" Brian asked Daran.

            "Not one bit," he replied.

            "Oh, boy," he sighed and looked heavenward.

* * *

            During study hall, April felt haunted by a strange sensation. She looked up several times from her textbook, certain someone was watching her.  Most of the time she spotted Brian glancing away, as if he had been the one looking at her. _What the…why is he looking at me so much? Oh well…_ she thought, and went back to her work.

            Next period after lunch, in science, April caught him looking her often again. _Okay, then, this is weird. But I won't say anything about it, because if it means what I think it means, it'll hurt Cara's feelings. Oh boy…_

            "You were right, Daran. We are doing something on the ocean's environment and oil spills," she whispered to him when Miss Knight was not looking.

            "Unfortunately," he replied, and she chuckled.

* * *

            The weeks flew by. Winter break came and went, as did January. All too soon it was February and they were getting their scores back from their finals.

            "Yes!" Cara and April exclaimed together. "We got A's on most of them!"

            "Which one did you get a B on, Cara?"

            "Dumb Spanish. I got two verbs mixed up."

            "Darn. I got a B -- a high B, but a B all the same -- on the history final. I don't really like Peterson, so I don't always pay attention. Oh well. It didn't lower my overall class grade, so I still have a 4.0!"

            "You two, what did you get?" Cara asked the two guys.

            "I actually aced the math final!" Daran said, completely astonished at the letter "A" looking up at him.

            "Good job!" April congratulated him.

            "I got almost all A's, too," Brian said. "I only got a B in…math."

            "You want me to help you more, Brian?" April asked.

            "Yes!" he said, brightening up considerably. April noted this and was a little concerned, but soon forgot about it, as they had to leave for class.

            In science she caught him looking her way again -- frequently. It unnerved her. _Why the heck does he keep looking at me and seem to love it when I talk to him! Aah! Maybe he…likes me! What will Cara do about this? I hope I'm just overreacting…sigh._

            The next day, Friday, was Valentine's Day. She sighed. _I kinda wish I could figure out whether I like Daran or not. Grr…and if I do, I wish he did too… wait, maybe I don't, what with this whole Brian thing I can't figure out.  Argh!  I hate guys!  _April was so preoccupied with her thoughts while putting books in her locker that she didn't see Brian walk up from behind and put his arm around her shoulders.

            "Uh, hi, Brian," she said, startled and confused.

            "Hey, April," he said brightly, his arm still on her shoulders. "You know how it's Valentine's Day?"

            "Yes," she replied slowly.

            "Well, I really admire you, think you're beautiful, and like you a lot. I was wondering if you'd consider…going out with me, you know, be my girlfriend."

            April was completely stunned. The thought _What will Cara say?_ dashed through her mind. "Why, Brian, that's really nice of you. Uh… can I give you an answer tomorrow?"

            "Sure. Here, take these," and produced for her, in his free hand, three beautiful blood red roses, with sprigs of baby's breath and ferns completing the bouquet. "I really do care for you, April."

            April was startled into silence. "I realize you're surprised, so just think it over, okay?" he suggested.

            "Okay," was her automated response. He then headed for his next class, a smile on his face. _Oh, my gosh. So that's what all those looks were about! Aah! What will Cara think of me if I say yes? But what will happen if I tell him no? And what about Daran?_

_            Well, what about Daran? a little voice in her mind interjected.  _You still don't know if you like him or not, right?__

_            So?  He's a cool guy… I'd go out with him if he a—what am I saying?!  I'm so confused… first Brian's thing… now this… I hate guys! she exclaimed again._

            In her daze, April remained clueless to anything going on around her.  "Hey, what's up? You look funny," Daran's voice intruded into her thoughts.

            April was jerked out of her stupor by his words. "Uh, er… oh, nothing."

            "C'mon, I know something's up." He glanced down at the roses in her right hand. "Whoa… April, where did you get those?"

            "Umm…a friend gave them to me?" she offered.

            "Don't believe it," he said brusquely.  "If that's not the case, then who…" he trailed off as a thought came to him. "Was it Brian?"

            The look on her face told him everything. "What did he say?"

            "He…he asked me out."

            "What?!"

            "He asked me out."

            "What was your answer?"

            "That I'll tell him my decision tomorrow."

            "Tell him no," Daran said bluntly.

            "What?" she asked incredulously.

            "Say no," he repeated.

            "Why?"

            He blinked, unaware of the import of his last two statements.  "Um… because I… I want you to go out with me," he stuttered, getting the last phrase out in a rush.

            April became weak in the knees at his words, and Daran had to steady her. "You… want to go out… with me?" she asked in a tiny voice.

            "You got it."

            She looked up at him, eyes shining from tears. "What's wrong?" he asked.

            "For a long time I've been trying to figure out if I liked you or not. Lucky for you that I figured it out about three minutes ago… mostly," she said, smiling.

            "You mean you feel the same way?"

            "You got it," she told him, stealing his words from a minute before. They laughed.

            "Is that a yes?"

            She nodded.

            Daran cried out, "Yes!" and draped his arm around her shoulders. They looked at each other with equally bright smiles and walked out of the school. Daran knew she did not have to take a bus, and neither did he, so they walked to the little grocery store a block down the road from their school. Entering, he asked April to not look. He then went up to the counter and asked the clerk, "Are the box of chocolates and flowers still on hold for me?"

            "Yes," the clerk replied. "Here they are," he said, handing Daran a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a beautiful bouquet of rosebuds.

            "Thanks," Daran said, and paid for them. Walking over to where April was had sat down and was looking out the window so she would not see Daran's surprise, he said, "April, you can look now."

            She turned around and gasped at the gifts Daran had bought for her. "These are beautiful!" she exclaimed, then glanced at the chocolates. "My favorites! How did you know?"

            "I asked Cara when you were getting something from your locker," he told her.

            "Oh," she said, chuckling. Then she remembered something. "What if my parents say no?"

            "They won't. I already took the liberty of asking if it was okay with them, and they said yes."

            "Oh, Daran," she sighed and leaned against him. He put his arm around her and just enjoyed the moment.

* * *

            The weeks turned into months, and Daran and April remained together. The fact that Cara liked Brian and Brian liked April was hard on their little group for about a month, but in May Brian surprised Cara by asking her to the school's spring dance. That event made the whole world seem perfect to the four, and they enjoyed a lot of double dates together.

            One thing that confused April for a long time was her purpose as Sailor Nova. Vega told her to remain patient, but it was so hard for her to stay an advisor and be unable to help the other Scouts out. It was a constant source of argument between the girl and her cat. Eventually April resolved herself to her lower role, and forgot about the whole issue once summer rolled around. But, a few months after she turned sixteen, her power became a close issue once more…


	8. Revelation

            It was a cold, wintry December day. The sky was overcast; a drizzle was beginning to fall. The board on a store nearby read the temperature to be thirty-five degrees. Everyone was bundled up in heavy overcoats going about their day.

            A teenage girl was walking home from school when she heard something odd. It was a weird buzzing noise. Amy stopped to find out what it was, her curiosity aroused. She looked in between the bushes lined along the sidewalk to see if it was coming from there. It was. But there was something else — something wrong. Amy moved the branches further apart so she could see more clearly. She did not like what she saw.

            A grade school was next door. There was an after school day care going on. A droidan from the Negaverse was hovering in the air, taking energy from all the kids on recess. _I've got to tell the others! she thought frantically. Taking out her Scout communicator, she punched in Lita's number, since she was with Serena and Nina already — the three went to the same school._

            "What's up, Amy?" Lita answered promptly.

            "I'm right outside the elementary school near the new coffee shop. There's a Negaverse droidan stealing the kids' energy! I've got to go help, so get Raye and come quickly!" Then Amy hung up and transformed into Sailor Mercury.

* * *

            "I believe this droidan will be very effective in disposing of those Sailor brats," commented Lady Rayna of the Negaverse as she gazed into a crystal ball showing what was going on between the droidan and the grade school kids on earth. "Your choice was excellent, Cerzite."

            "Thank you, my Lady," he replied, bowing. Inside he was glowing with her praise. She rarely gave out positive comments to anyone. _And she decided to bestow one on me,_ he thought with evil glee. _What an opportunity! She may yet promote me to the highest rank of the Negaverse soldiers!_

* * *

            The other girls got a hold of Raye and told her the bad news. Then they transformed and dashed straight to the school. They arrived just in time. Sailor Mercury was cornered by the droidan.

            "Jupiter thunder!" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed. Immediately green lightning surrounded her and focused on her hands. She pointed them at the droidan and released the energy. The droidan cried out and turned on them, thankfully ignoring Sailor Mercury. Raye -- as Sailor Mars -- jumped in to Sailor Mercury's side to see if she was okay.

            "Yeah, I'm fine, but that was too close!" Mercury told Mars.

            Then Sailor Venus threw her "Venus crescent beam" at the droidan. She—the droidan—deflected it with a careless toss of her right hand. Venus was stunned. _Gosh, she's more powerful than we thought! _she said to herself.

            A ball of bluish energy suddenly formed in the droidan's outstretched hand. Raising the ball high, she took aim and threw it at the three Scouts—Sailors Moon, Venus, and Jupiter. They went flying to the ground with a cry from the force of the blow.

            The droidan then noticed a movement from the corner of her eye. She turned around to see Sailor Mars power up to hurl her "Mars fireball charge" at her. The fire-energy flew towards the droidan at an amazing speed, but it was to no use. The Negaverse being tossed it to the side as well, and the effort of deflecting it seemed to take no toll on her.

            The droidan decided to retaliate. She tossed an energy beam at Mars. Mars had no time to react. She was hit, and fell to the ground with a groan. Then the droidan turned to face Sailor Mercury, who had gotten up from her sitting position and was ready to defend Mars.

            "You won't get away with hurting my friends!" she announced.

            "Oh, but I think I will," the droidan replied with a hint of derision in her voice.

            Mercury then exclaimed, "Mercury bubbles!" and created a mist surrounding the evil creature. But this attack was ineffective as well, for with one breath, the droidan blew the mist away. She responded with an attack on Mercury which was so powerful, it lifted her up off the ground and dropped her – hard -- on the sidewalk ten feet away from where she had been standing.

            Tuxedo Mask arrived seconds later. He saw all the Scouts on the ground, unconscious, and rage built up inside of him against the Negaverse soldier. "You won't get away with this!" he shouted at the droidan.

            "That is what your friend, Sailor Mercury, said to me as well, and look what happened to her!" the droidan cackled. "Now you will share the same fate!" She took this chance to use her wild card -- an explosive attack that could only be used once. A ball of crackling, orange fire-energy formed between her hands. She tossed it at Tuxedo Mask. He tried to deflect it, with no luck. It was just too powerful. The energy surrounded him, and he fell to the sidewalk with a cry of pain. Now all six of them were down.

* * *

            Meanwhile, April was at home working on her math assignment. She had been working for quite some time. _Why does math have to take so long? she asked herself, grumbling. Looking up, she rubbed her eyes and tried to re-moisturize them. Then she felt something, like someone was tugging at her. An urge then came for her to transform to Sailor Nova. She looked down at her locket -- it was glowing. _What is going on?_ she wondered._

            "April, are you feeling a little odd?" Vega asked her.

            "Funny you should say that -- yes, I am."

            "So am I. Do you think it has anything to do with the Scouts?"

            "Yes, I do, because I feel this strong urge to become Sailor Nova. Should I?"

            "Should you what?"

            "Become Sailor Nova."

            "Yes, just to see what happens next."

            "Okay." Grasping her locket in her hand, April cried out, "Corusca gem power!" As soon as the violet light faded, she was translocated unconsciously to the place where Amy had first spotted the droidan. She then heard a cry. Peeking through the bushes, she saw Sailor Mercury fall, then Tuxedo Mask.

            Whoa, she thought. _Could my locket have some connection with the others' icons? Because I think it brought me here somehow…_

            As she heard the cries of pain from the downed warriors, Sailor Nova could not stand it any longer. She translocated herself in between the droidan and the fallen warriors, not five feet away from the enemy. Her sudden appearance startled the droidan.

            "Stand back, trash. I don't like it when my friends are hurt -- especially by the likes of you."

* * *

            Lady Rayna had been watching the entire time. She laughed evilly when she saw all of them defeated. "Excellent choice, Cerzite. You have proved yourself worthy of the highest rank under me. Consider yourself Commander now," she told him. Suddenly the crystal ball began to short circuit. "What is this?" she exclaimed. Violet lightning played all over its surface, making it hard to see through. Then, through the ball, they heard a voice. A strong voice, full of authority and determination. Immediately the lightning subsided. They gazed into it and saw another Scout, one whom they had never seen before.

            "Who is this?" Lady Rayna exclaimed, frightened. But she let none of her fright leak into her voice. She took it out on Cerzite. "Why didn't you tell me about a sixth Scout?" she asked him angrily.

            "Because, my Lady, I had no idea of her existence," he replied, trying to stay calm and pacify his superior at the same time. He knew what she could be like in one of these moods.

            But she was paying no attention to him. Her eyes were riveted on the ball…

* * *

            At this time another teenager was doing homework—Daran. He had started just fifteen minutes previously when he had a strange feeling come over him. Nothing of the sort had ever happened before. He was very confused.

            The feeling was a feeling of protectiveness. _But why?_ he wondered. Then an image came up before him.  He blinked. _Why would I have to protect her? I mean, I like her and everything, but still…protect her? She's very capable of taking care of herself…_

            No sooner had he thought this than he was whisked away to the courtyard where the battle was. For some reason the edge of his vision was dark. Daran reached a hand up to his face and felt soft cloth. Then he looked down at himself. _Whoa, where did this getup come from? And why am I wearing a mask? _He looked down further. _Aah! I'm hovering in the air! How am I doing this?!_

            Then he noticed the battle going on…

* * *

            "I believe you could use some help, Sailor Moon," the sixth Sailor said.

            Sailor Moon, just now having regained consciousness, looked up at the sound of the voice. She saw a girl of about sixteen standing six feet away from where she was lying. _Who is that? she wondered. __She has the same outfit as we do… Then she realized something. _She has the same voice as… _"Are…are you the Shadow Advisor?" _

            "Yes," the girl replied. "You may now call me Sailor Nova."

            _Nice name_, Sailor Moon thought.

            Sailor Nova then turned to face the droidan. She cried out "Nova twister!" and a spiral of violet light surrounded her, the force of the energy blowing her hair around. It swirled around her and sped swiftly towards the enemy. The droidan, taken off guard, was barely able to dodge the attack. "Argh!" she cried out as the energy singed her. In retaliation, she created an energy beam and was about to throw it when a ring of pure light cut the beam in half, causing it to dissipate. Both Sailor Nova and the droidan looked up in the direction from which the ring had come.

            There, hovering in the air about six feet off the ground was a figure masked and clothed in black. He -- she figured it was a guy by his hair length and his voice -- said, "Looked like you needed a hand, Sailor Nova."

            "Who are you?" she asked him. _Why is that voice so familiar? Sailor Nova wondered._

            "I am the Star Guardian. I'm similar to Tuxedo Mask," he replied. _Whoa_, he thought again. _This…this is all instinct! But where am I getting this from, who is this Sailor Nova person (what's a Sailor?), why do I feel so attached to her, and where have I heard her voice before?_

            Nova noticed a sudden movement. "Look out!" she cried. Her warning came too late. The Negaverse creature, while the two warriors' attention was elsewhere, had powered up with a green, swirling mass of energy. She hurled it at him -- and it hit square on. The Star Guardian was completely unprepared for this. He fell, and hit the ground with an oof. Nova dashed to his side, concerned. She gasped when she reached him. His mask had caught on a bush in the fall, and had been ripped off. The face it revealed was… "D…Daran? Is that you?" she asked him, still in shock.

            "How do you know who I am…" and his voice trailed off as he felt his face and touched the tattered remains of his mask. "Oh, that's how."

            Nova lowered her voice to a whisper. "Well, since I know who you are, I might as well tell you who I am." She paused for a moment, and continued, "I'm April."

            "What?" he gasped, startled. Then he looked more closely and realized it _was_ her.

            "Time to break up this party, you two," said the droidan, breaking into their conversation. She then gathered up her strength, and threw a huge ball of energy at the pair. Nova shouted "Nova shield!" and a violet- tinted semi-transparent bubble about three feet in every direction from the two suddenly formed, blocking the attack. Then Nova stepped out of the bubble, fury plain on her face. She declared "Nova blast" and threw a small ball of violet energy at the droidan, who was hit with a cry.

            "Sailor Moon," she said, turning to face the fallen girl, "I'm going to give you something. Then take care of this trash." Nova pointed a hand, palm facing Moon, and said "Nova power gift." A beam of pure white light came from her hand and surrounded Moon. Moon felt strength pouring into her as Nova felt some of her own leave.

            By now the others had regained consciousness. They looked up and saw Nova finish giving Moon strength. All of them were confused as to who this was.

            The droidan was now weak. Sailor Moon stood up and raised her moon scepter. She cried out, "Moon scepter elimination!" The crown on the tip of the scepter began to glow. Out from it poured energy -- pure white energy. This energy surrounded the droidan and with a scream she dissolved into dust. "Now you're moon-dusted!" Moon exclaimed.

            "Who are you?" Jupiter asked Nova once the others had stood up -- with plenty of groaning.

            "I am Sailor Nova," she replied simply. Daran had reached into one of his pockets -- which he had not known he had -- for his spare mask -- had not known he had had this either -- and had put it on before the others had stood up. "And this is the Star Guardian," she introduced him.

            The two cats of the five Sailors had reached them by now. "What happened?" Luna asked them. Nova's guardian cat, Vega, trotted up as the other cat spoke. Noticing them Artemis, Venus' guardian cat, asked, "Who are they?"

            Sailor Moon spoke up. "This is Sailor Nova, who pretty much saved us, the one in black is the Star Guardian, and I think the cat is Nova's guardian."

            "Well, I've never heard of you before," commented Luna.

            "I know," Nova responded. "I'm sorry, but I really must go."

            "But who are you really?" Venus asked her.

            "I'm not allowed to tell you -- yet. Farewell." With this last word the three newcomers disappeared.

            "Well, at least we now know who the Shadow Advisor is," Moon commented. The others looked at her strangely, having been unconscious when Sailor Nova arrived.

            "You mean this Sailor Nova is the Shadow Advisor?" Mercury asked.

            "Yes."

            "C'mon, you guys, let's go. I'm getting cold. Anyone want to come and build a fire at my place?" Mars offered.

            "Yes!" they all exclaimed in unison, then laughed.

* * *

            For the next few months most attacks made by the Negaverse's rulers were met by defense from the five Sailors and Tuxedo Mask, and defeated. Every now and then, however, the attacks would be too great for them to handle on their own, and April and Daran, in their warrior identities, would step in to help. Sometimes the pair would fight on their own as well. But then, the next May, an unprecedented attack came, and April was forced to make a decision…

            "Mmm, mmm, mmm!" Serena exclaimed around a mouthful of ice cream one sunny spring afternoon. Darion and April gave her funny looks at her piggish actions with her food.

            "Serena," April admonished.

            "Sorry—mmf—I'll slow down," Serena answered, her mouth full.

            "Same old Serena," Darion commented, chuckling.

            They continued chatting idly as they walked along the path. It was like a green tunnel, created beautifully by the overhanging trees. It was a picture perfect scene, with the newly budding trees, the fresh flowers, and the crisp air. Then, it was all sharply broken by evil.

            April had dropped back for a second to tie her shoe. Serena and Darion continued walking along, hand in hand. They walked between two trees, and were greeted by an energy trap. "Aah!" they cried out together as they fell, wreathed in black lightning.

            At their cry, April looked up sharply. _What the…_ she thought, and then saw a figure leap out. It was a guardian, from the Negaverse. Suddenly the sky grew dark. "Give me your energy!" the she-guardian cackled in a sinister voice.

            April knew she had to act quickly. She jumped in between her friends and the she-guardian. Darion had been knocked unconscious by the trap, and Serena was struggling to get up. The trap had stopped its action by now.

            _Darn it,_ April thought. _I have to transform, since Serena obviously can't do it herself. But, it'll be in front of them, and I'll lose my cover!_ She glanced over at them. They were still in the same condition. _A friend's got to do what a friend's got to do_, she decided firmly.

            "Back off from my friends, trash!" April shouted to get the guardian's attention off Darion and Serena.

            "What?" Serena asked, confused. "April, how do you know—" she started to ask, but was cut off by April. "Don't talk, Serena -- keep your strength."

            Clutching her locket, which held her Corusca gem, April thought resolutely, _Here goes._ She raised it up into the air and cried out, "Corusca gem power!" As usual, a violet hue surrounded April. Two seconds later, she emerged from the violet cloud as Sailor Nova.

            "April…you're Sailor Nova?" Serena asked, dumbfounded.

            "Yes," she replied simply. She then pointed her hands towards her fallen friends, palms facing them, and said "Nova shield!" They were instantly enveloped in a violet bubble. Nova then turned to face the enemy.

            The she-guardian blasted an energy lance at her. Nova dodged it – barely -- and picked up a stance where she landed. It threw more energy at her in the form of a beam: too much for the warrior to avoid. _Now what do I do?_ she asked herself. _I can either make a shield -- which would take it away from my friends -- or I can absorb it and throw it back at her. But, I've only done it once, with the effort zapping all my energy. All right, I'm running out of time. I'll do it!_

            Sailor Nova had only a split second to think all of this through. She determinedly put herself in a stance so that she would get the most of the energy being thrown at her. The energy, reaching her, quickly covered her from sight. Serena let out a small cry, assuming the worst had happened. Just then Darion regained consciousness, lifted his head up gingerly, and was shocked at the scene before him. Serena told him quickly about April and pointed to the object of the attack -- Sailor Nova.

            Seconds later there was a blue glowing -- the guardian's signature color -- where Nova had been standing. Serena noticed that once the energy hit Nova, it seemed to dissipate. Nova was beginning to pulsate with energy. The attack finally ended.

            She -- the guardian -- let out a cry of shock at seeing Nova still there. Sailor Nova herself was outlined in a violet flame, as if she were on fire. Suddenly the fire went out. The energy was concentrated between Nova's cupped hands and absorbed into a ball, which was slowly forming. Flames swirled around the ball in Nova's hands, moving in such a way that it seemed alive.

            "How… how could you have survived the attack I gave you?" the guardian exclaimed in disbelief. She was so shocked that she took no heed of the pulsating activity taking place in Nova's hands.

            "By absorbing the force you threw at me," Nova replied. At this the Negaverse guardian's jaw dropped down.

            "Impossible!" she exclaimed.

            "It isn't, because I just did it. Now I will show you the fruits of my labor." The ball was at its peak, in size and force. It was about a foot across by now, positively glowing with energy, ready to be unleashed. It acted like a caged, enraged tiger.

            Nova moved into a stance where she could get enough force to throw it at her -- hands level with and slightly behind her left hip, legs apart to hold her, and a look of pure determination on her face. "Say hello to my supercharged true nova blast, Negatrash!" she shouted, and threw it at her with all of her might.

            The ball traveled at a very great speed, but to Serena and Darion it seemed like an eternity before it finally hit and enveloped the guardian. She dissolved with a scream. Nova then staggered to one side, completely worn out. She used what little strength she had left to translocate herself to her room. Turning back to her normal self, she plopped on her bed into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

            Darion and Serena could not believe their eyes. What they had just seen must be impossible. But their experiences told them that it was real.

            "It makes sense now!" Serena exclaimed.

            "What do you mean?" Darion asked, puzzled.

            "I remember, back when I first met April, that her voice seemed vaguely familiar. Now I know why I thought that! I met her soon after my first visit from the 'Shadow Advisor.' "

            "You're right!" Darion agreed. "Wow, she's powerful."

            "No kidding."

            "Where do you think she went?"

            "Home, probably. At least that's where I would go. Will you talk to her tomorrow at lunch, Darion? See how she is?"

            "Sure, Serena."

* * *

            The next day, April was not at school. Darion looked everywhere at lunch. He asked around to see if anyone else had seen her. Then, he ran into her best friend, Cara.

            "Hey, Cara," he greeted her.

            "Hi, Darion," she replied.

            "Have you seen April today?"

            "No. She called me this morning before school telling me she wouldn't make it. She said she wasn't feeling well, and sounded awful."

            "April isn't doing well?" Daran's voice entered their conversation.

            "Yeah. I talked to her this morning, and she sounded like she'd caught the bad cold that's been floating around."

            Daran and Darion exchanged looks, which Cara missed. In that one second, Daran realized that Darion knew something about April. In his turn, Darion realized that Daran also knew about April's being Nova.

            "Thanks, Cara," Darion said. "Daran, I have something to tell you," he told him as he led him off to where they could talk privately.

            "Are you Sailor Nova's Protector?" he asked as soon as they were in a secluded area.

            He simply nodded in reply, the strangeness of their sudden burst of telepathy far from his thoughts. With a worried frown, he queried, "So, what happened, Darion?"

            "Well, we -- Serena, April, and I -- were taking a walk when Serena and I walked into an energy trap. April had stopped to tie her shoe, so she avoided being caught. Anyway, once the black lightning stopped attacking us, I was knocked out by hitting my head on a tree stump. Serena told me that April jumped between us, transformed, and drew the guardian's attack from us to herself, since she avoided being knocked out as well. Then the guardian launched a huge attack on her!"

            Daran's eyes widened, his frown deepening.

            Darion continued, "But somehow she absorbed the attack's energy! By now, I had regained consciousness. I have no clue how she did that, but she then used the energy to make a powerful ball, and threw it at the guardian. The guardian disappeared. She was very wobbly, looking very weak, and then disappeared herself. The only reason I know she's still around is from what Cara told me."

            "Thanks, Darion." Daran glanced at his watch. "It's almost time for my next class. I better run. See ya."

            "Later," Darion answered, and they left in their respective directions to get to class.

* * *

            Right after school got out, Daran dashed to the nearest gift shop, got something for April, and took off in his car for her house.

            April's mother greeted him at the door. She led him to April's room, where he found her reading. She was pale and propped up on pillows. She was startled out of her book by his soft knock on her open door.

            "Hey, Daran," she said in a weak voice. "How did you know I was sick?"

            "Well, I didn't see you in study hall, and Cara told me you weren't feeling well at lunch." He walked inside, closed the door behind him, and sat down on the couch next to her, looking at her with concern written all over his face, then continued, "I brought these for you." Daran produced a box of April's favorite chocolates and a small bouquet of flowers.

            "Daran, this is lovely! Thank you!" she exclaimed. There was a short pause, with them looking at each other. After searching his face, April realized there was something hidden. "What else did you do?"

            Daran had always known she could read his mind. "Then I talked to Darion."

            "Oh. So, what did he tell you?"

            "All about the fight."

            April was stunned. "How did he know who you were?"

            "I'm honestly not sure. I somehow realized he knew about your other identity, and he realized I knew the same thing. It was rather strange."  Daran shook his head.  "Anyway, we went off by ourselves and he told me about the fight. I wish I could have seen it. But it must have really taxed you, from the way he described your departure."

            "Yes, it did. That's why I didn't come to school today. Good thing there's a three-day weekend. I'll only have missed today."

            Then there was another knock on the door, which was now closed. "Come in," April said faintly. The door opened to show Darion and Serena, the latter holding flowers.

            "Hey, April," Serena greeted her. Looking her over, she commented, "You don't look so great."

            "I don't feel so great."

            Darion said, "Here. We brought these for you," and he handed her the bouquet of roses.

            "You guys really know how to make a girl feel special," she said, smiling.

            The four of them played a few card games and chatted idly together. By the end, a few hours later, April had some color back in her cheeks, partly from laughing so hard. Darion and Serena said goodbye, and Serena said she would call the next day. Then it was just Daran and April.

            "You look much better, April," Daran told her.

            "I do feel a little better," she admitted.

            "I'll go now, so you can get your rest. Would you like me to come back tomorrow?"

            "Sure. Just call beforehand, okay?"

            "No problem."


	9. Shock

Author's Note: this is the first chapter of part III. This concentrates on April learning about her new place in the world and all events (and characters) surrounding that.

The next day a call came for April. "Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"This is April Winslow speaking, correct?"

"Yes..."

"My name is Violet Wakefield. I am looking for bright teenagers who want to be challenged academically. You are taking advanced classes for a sophomore, correct?"

"Yes, I am."

"Wonderful. Would you be willing to participate in a study?"

"A study?"

"It is more of a survey, but the information gathered will be used in a study. Would you be willing to participate in something of this sort?"

April was silent for a moment, unsure of whether or not to accept this proposal by a total stranger. _I haven't even met this woman. I have no idea if this is genuine or what_. "I don't know. I have to admit that I am unsure of whether or not to accept your offer simply because I have never met you face to face."

"I apologize for that. I was unable to find you at your school yesterday."

"That may be because I was ill yesterday, and am still recovering." April frowned inwardly. _Why the heck am I speaking so formally? Maybe it's because she is... wait a minute. I've never heard that accent before. I wonder where she's from?_

"Ah. That would explain it. Would you feel more at ease if I met with you during your lunch on Monday?"

"That would suit me fine. Where will I find you?"

"Meet me in the counseling center. Bring your lunch with you—some of the other students took almost the entire period to finish the survey."

"All right, then. I will see you there."

"Get well soon."

"Thank you."

April heard a click as Miss Wakefield hung up.

"What was that all about, dear?" April's mother called up to her.

"Oh, just a Violet Wakefield asking about me possibly participating in a survey of advanced students. I'm meeting with her at school on Monday to decide whether I'm to take it or not."

The name struck a chord in Allison's heart. _No... no... I can't lose her yet... I hope it's just someone with the same name._ Her heart denied it, but her mind knew that the time was near for her adopted daughter to return to her real home.

That night at dinner both April and her father noticed that she was a bit more sober than usual. "Is something wrong, Mom?" April asked.

"Oh, no. I'm just tired."

Her father raised an eyebrow, but did not say a word. After the dishes had been cleared and the kitchen cleaned, April went upstairs to finish typing up a paper. Ryan walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. "What's wrong? I know it's not because you're tired."

Allison pushed his hands away, walked into the living room, and sat down. He sat down next to her. "What is it?"

She looked at him with sadness in her eyes. "April got a call today from a Violet Wakefield."

Ryan's expression was confused for a moment, but it changed to one of stunned realization seconds later. "No... is it really..."

Allison nodded, tears threatening to spill over. "I don't want to believe it, but I'm afraid it's almost that time," she said, her voice laden with pain.

"Oh my gosh... " he groaned, hands going to his face. "So all that Elaine told us over fourteen years ago really is true."

"Yes."

"I didn't want to believe it, even then... but now that it's right upon us... I want to not believe it even more."

"I feel the same way..." That did it. Allison buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Ryan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and allowed his own tears to spill.

* * *

On Monday April explained to her friends that she would not be there for lunch and headed for the counseling center. Once she arrived, she looked around for a woman seated at one of the tables, for that was what she had assumed would transpire. She was unprepared for a tap on the shoulder. April whirled around to face the person, startled.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I did not mean to startle you," the blonde young woman in front of her said.

April was confused. "Who are you?"

The woman laughed. "I'm Violet Wakefield."

April raised an eyebrow. _Why, she can't be more than twenty-five! I expected a woman at least ten years older than her! She must be doing some sort of college project or something..._ "You are?"

"Did you expect someone older than I?"

"Frankly, I did."

She laughed again. "I must not have mentioned that this is for a college project."

"No, you didn't."

"I am sorry. Come on." Miss Wakefield began to walk toward the school entrance.

The teenager hung back, unsure of what was going on. "Where are you going?"

"You mean I did not tell you that I was taking you out to lunch for this?"

"No... " _I am so confused. Why would a college student take me out to lunch for a simple survey? This is really weird._

"I must have forgotten. Pressures of college life, you know," she explained with a wink. "Well, come on. And if you are at all worried of arriving back late, I have excused you already."

"Oh, all right." April followed the older woman out the front door and into her red sports car. _Sheesh, who is this woman? She must be really rich to own a car like this!_

Miss Wakefield drove out of the school parking lot, and five minutes later they had arrived at a small restaurant down the road from Northfield. She led April into the building, and a waiter seated them momentarily. They were shown to a secluded booth, far away from other patrons.

April was completely bewildered by this time, but quickly regained her composure and looked directly at the so-called college student. "All right, Miss Wakefield. Tell me what is going on here."

The other woman looked at her. "Good. You are shrewd."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Never mind," she replied with a dismissive shake of her head.

"You aren't a college student doing a study on bright students, are you?"

"No."

The blunt answer startled the teenage girl. "So... who are you?"

"I cannot tell you unless you promise to not reveal a single word to another living person. You cannot even tell your cat, all right?"

"How do you know I have a cat?"

The waiter walked up then, forcing April to wait for her question to be answered. "May I take your orders, ladies?"

"Yes. I will have the soup of the day, please. With a salad. And I will just have water to drink," Miss Wakefield told him with a note of authority in her voice. April took a second to appraise her tone. _She's used to giving orders, isn't she? What kind of person would have that sort of authority—_

Her thoughts were broken into by the waiter's voice. "And you, ma'am?"

"Oh, I'll have... I'll have the same. With a root beer, please."

"Very good." He took their menus and left.

"Back to your question, April," Miss Wakefield said. "I cannot tell you unless you promise to keep all of what I tell you a secret."

"All... right."

She took a deep breath. "You are aware that you are adopted, right?"

"Yes."

"Have your adoptive parents ever spoken to you about your real parents?"

"No."

"Your real parents are alive."

April choked on the water she had just sipped. "Wha... what?"

"Your real parents are alive," she repeated.

"Then why... why was I adopted? And how do you know this?"

She sighed. "April, before I tell you, I must tell you a few other things that I know first. To start with, I know you are Sailor Nova."

"What?"

"Sh!" She glanced around the restaurant briefly to ensure no one else had heard April's exclamation. Satisfied, she continued, "I also know you have a guardian cat, Vega, and that you also, like Sailor Moon, have, as an aide, the Protector, also known as your boyfriend, Daran Windward."

April's eyes widened, then narrowed. "How do you know all of this? Do you stalk me or something?"

"First of all, this has all been foretold in legend. Not any names or specifics, but that a girl would become a Sailor Scout known as Nova, have a guardian cat, and also have an aide known as the Protector. You are that girl."

"Legend? What legend?"

"A legend that has been in your real family for over two hundred years."

April was utterly confused. "Who is my real family, then?"

"Your parents are Geran and Serena Winslow, king and queen of Byrista."

"My parents are a... a king and queen? Then that means I'm a... princess? But... what the heck is Byrista?"

"Yes, you are Crown Princess April of the House of Winslow of Byrista. Byrista is a country in the Pacific Ocean comprised of small islands."

"I've never heard of a country in the Pacific called Byrista."

"That is because only the inhabitants of the country know of it. It is protected by a cloaking device, as well as the other three countries near it."

"A cloaking device? That sounds like Star Wars or something."

"It is."

April blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"All that you have either seen or read about concerning that series it true. We live in what the New Republic calls the Unknown Regions. The Galactic Civil War really happened, and so did the Yuuzhan Vong infiltration, as well as all of the events in between those two."

"What... then how... "

"Some of our people left their homes and traveled into the United States to publish books that were to be known as fiction, though they were actually true. That's how you know about it."

"So how do you know all of this?"

"I am the crown princess of Yavinia, another of the countries within the cloaked sphere. The other two countries are Alendre and the Windward Islands."

"Windward Islands?"

"The family that rules there is distantly related to your boyfriend, if that is what you were wondering."

"Does he get to know all of this?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Well... because... because he cannot."

"What?"

"Anyway, the reason I am telling you all of this is because you need to return home."

"I am home... well, a few minutes away from it, that is."

Miss Wakefield shook her head. "No. You need to go to Byrista."

"Why?"

"Because that is where you were born. And, because there is a problem brewing."

"Problem?"

"Yes. Have you read the Jedi Academy trilogy?"

"Yeah... "

"Do you recall Admiral Daala?"

"Yes."

"The situation is similar, but not exactly alike. You see, April, there is a man out there, somewhere, who has somehow gained a lot of power and declared himself an admiral. His name is Edun Gitran, and his fleet is enormous. His aim is simple: to destroy the New Republic. You must come back with me, April. You are a bright young woman and would be quite an asset in the war that will surely take place against him. Your special powers will also come in handy. Besides," she added, "if you do not return, then there will be no one to rule your country once your parents die."

April was silent for a few minutes, during which the waiter came with their lunch. Without her realizing it, a sense of obligation washed over her. 

_I have to go, don't I? _she thought with a heavy heart. _There's no choice... I have to leave everything I know to go to this strange place with strange people because... because why? Because I have an obligation to the people of my country—and because I'm slightly curious about this strange place. I'll go—I won't like it, but I'll go. But I want to at least bring Vega along, so there will be at least one "person" I know there. _She did not speak again until after they had begun eating. "I have one condition. My cat comes with me."

Miss Wakefield mulled over the request for a moment. "You can do that."

"All right, then. So, how do I go about leaving? I have the feeling I can't just announce to the world my newfound royal position, et cetera."

The older young woman let out the breath she had not realized she had been holding. "Since all the people you know must not know of your true identity, you must pretend to die."

"Die? Isn't that kind of drastic?"

"Yes, but it is the method you must use."

"How... how will I... pretend... to... to die?"

It took Miss Wakefield ten minutes to carefully explain the process to her.

"And that's what I'm supposed to do with the Scouts?"

"Yeah. Make them think you died in battle."

"How about everyone else?"

"Our people will take care of that."

The "our" in Violet's sentence struck April to the bone. _I'm already utterly committed to this, aren't I? There's no turning back now, I guess..._

"When do I do this?"

"I'll send you a letter explaining all the fine details. April, I have to admit that I am greatly relieved knowing you'll be coming home. We've been waiting for you for over fourteen years."

April was a bit taken aback at this news, but then another thought struck her. "Wait... how did I end up here, then?"

She sighed. "I'm truly sorry, but it's not my place to tell you. You'll learn that from someone you already know."

"What?"

"Trust me on that one."

The rest of the meal went by in silence. After they finished, Miss Wakefield paid the check and tipped the waiter. They left the restaurant and drove back to Northfield High. Before April got out of the car, the Yavinian princess said, "Remember: you can't tell anyone about this. Not even your best friends. All right?"

April simply nodded in reply. She grabbed her backpack and headed for her next class.

There the other three members of the "Fearsome Foursome" were already seated. April got there with seconds to spare before class began. Her teacher gave her an odd look, but then resumed taking attendance. The rest of the period went by uneventfully.

After class all three approached her. "Well, how was the survey?" Cara asked.

"It was okay," April replied.

Her tone told Cara otherwise, but she did not press the issue. She and Brian then walked away, hand in hand. Daran remained behind. April resumed walking down the hallway, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

She looked up into his eyes, full of concern, and said, "I... I... I wish... I could tell you... but... but I can't. I want to so badly, but I promised, and... "

His eyes narrowed slightly. "You can't tell me? Why not?"

A tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't know. I was told I couldn't tell anyone, not even my parents."

"So... so it's not just me you can't tell?"

She shook her head, unable to speak.

"That makes me feel better... yet it makes me feel worse... you know?" _Man, what could be so bad or important that she can't tell anyone about this?_

April nodded. Daran reached his hand up to her face and wiped away a second tear. "C'mon," he said, taking his hand in hers, "let me get you an ice cream or something. We've got some time left before the next class starts."

She smiled at him sadly and nodded again. _I wish I didn't have to leave such a special guy, _she thought dejectedly. _He is certainly one in a million._

As the days ticked down, April tried to enjoy every minute she could spend with Daran, her friends, and her parents. She was even able to spend some time with her aunt Elaine, whom she rarely ever saw because her job took her all over the country. Then the fateful letter arrived the day before school ended.

April,

I know school gets out on Thursday the fifth. The Friday, Saturday, or Sunday after school ends try to get involved with a battle against the Negaverse, and used the death technique there. I honestly wish you didn't have to go through this, Princess. Be careful. "Violet"

April sniffed after reading the note. _It's finalized, then. I'm really going to go through this. Funny, at first I was taking it like it had been a bad dream... but now I must face reality. I don't want to, though! I have to go… but I want to stay… I hate this! Why me?_

She blinked, thinking she had just heard a long-suffering sigh, but figured it was just a gust of wind through her partially open window. The teenager let forth a sigh of her own and laid her head on her desk, closing her eyes and willing the depressing thoughts away.


	10. Departures

__

One of the Negaverse's servants laughed an evil laugh. He launched an attack against a Sailor Scout at the fountain, who is unprepared. She screamed. The evil attacker cackled again...

Serena woke up with a start late on the Saturday evening after school had ended. She thought it was just a bad dream—but then she was hit with a premonition of danger. She had had it before, when Lita had transformed to Sailor Jupiter and was in trouble, injured.

"Oh no!" Serena exclaimed in a panic, throwing off her covers in a rush. "I just know something's wrong!"

"Is someone in trouble?" Luna asked.

"I think so," said Serena, trying to compose herself by taking a deep breath. "Remember when Lita as Sailor Jupiter was in trouble?" she asked Luna.

"Uh, yes..." Serena's guardian cat replied.

"Well, I just had a premonition like the one I had then! I know a Sailor's in trouble! I have the feeling it's April—as Nova!" Serena grabbed her special Scout emergency communicator and punched in the number for Amy's matching communicator.

"Yes?" Amy answered the call a moment later with a yawn, her hair tousled. "What's up?"

"April—as Nova—is in trouble!" she exclaimed.

"Are you sure?" Amy asked skeptically.

"Oh, yes! Call the other Scouts and tell them to transform while they run to the fountain in the square near the mall. I know that's where she is!"

"How do you know?"

"I just do." Then she added, "It would take too long to explain."

Catching Serena's drift, Amy replied, "Okay! But if this is a false alarm, we'll all be pretty annoyed with you, Serena. You and Raye will have something else to fight about."

"Just get going!" Serena said irritably.

On the way to the fountain, where Serena said someone from the Negaverse was stirring up trouble, the five met and transformed, then ran as fast as they could the rest of the way. When they arrived, they saw Sailor Nova already fighting Cerzite.

"You guys could have come a little sooner, you know," Sailor Nova grumbled. _Wonderful_, she thought, _now I have to make it look like this guy is hard. Darn it! Oh, well... Violet, all of this had better be worth it._

"Sorry," they said in unison, also panting. "I'm glad you're okay, though, Nova," Sailor Moon added with a note of relief in her voice.

Nova then noticed a slight movement from the corner of her eye. _Oh, no! Just because I have to pretend to die doesn't mean I can let them get hurt! _She cried out, "Watch out, Sailors!" No sooner had she said this then Cerzite struck all five of them at once. He had gathered energy for an attack with small round projectiles, the Scouts not noticing as their attention was elsewhere, and thrown all of them at the group of young warriors.

They fell to the ground with a cry. Jupiter and Moon were the first to try to get up. Nova jumped between Cerzite and the downed Scouts as a temporary barrier. "Catch your breath, Sailor Moon, and I'll distract him," she ordered. She then said under her breath, "Nova twister!" A great, spinning column of light surrounded Nova, then headed straight for Cerzite. He deflected it with ease, and then hit Nova with a blue bolt of energy. It surrounded her, and she fell a second later. But, within a minute, she got up, apparently with much effort. _Cerzite, if I wasn't supposed to make it look like I'm going to die tonight, you would be dead right now, and I wouldn't have had to involve the others._

"Huh? You should have been killed with that, or at least out of the fight!" Cerzite exclaimed, shocked at Nova's stamina.

"You can't finish me off that easily, Negatrash," replied Nova. She then responded by giving Sailor Moon her "Nova power gift." _There—this way it'll look like I died from loss of energy. Blast you, Violet… this is so drastic…_

While she helped Moon, Tuxedo Mask arrived. "Where's the Protector?" Nova asked him after she finished, confused. "Doesn't he usually come with you?" _ I'm never going to be able to see him again... I was hoping he'd come... but then again, I was hoping he wouldn't... he doesn't need to think he saw me die... _

"Yes, he does, but for some reason he didn't respond," Mask replied, a little confused himself.

"The little party's over, Sailor Nova. Say goodbye!" Cerzite threw a huge black ball of energy at her and thought he had scored a hit. "That should take care of you!" But Nova realized it was coming, and had enough time to deflect it. "Nova shield!" she cried out. The ball bounced off an invisible barrier two feet in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Jupiter asked Nova.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My shield protected me. But right now it is more important that you guys are okay. Sailor Moon, do you feel good enough to take care of this loser?" Nova inquired of her.

She only wearily shook her head in response.

"Then allow me to take care of him for you," she declared.

"But... but, how can you do that, Nova? I thought only Sailor Moon could do that!" Sailor Mars sputtered.

"I found out I could when I encountered a henchman of Cerzite's," Nova answered her. _Actually, I knew I could all along, but Vega told me to allow you to lead us. _"Allow me to show you." She paused for a minute to gather her strength. Then she cried out, "Nova star power!" A small violet ball of pure energy formed above her head between her upraised hands.

"Ha, ha. What can that do to me? It's just a little thing, much smaller than anything else you weaklings throw at me!" Cerzite cackled with glee.

"It's time for you to eat humble pie, Cerzite. Sometimes the little things do what the big things can't," Nova told him. Then, she threw the ball at the Negaverse soldier. As it gained speed, it also increased in size. "Now, you know what a true nova is!"

The pure violet energy surrounded him, the ball larger than he was by that time, and he stood there, transfixed, with a look of horror on his face. "No!" he cried out, and vanished as the ball hit its mark. Once he vanished, Nova collapsed.

"Sailor Nova! Are you okay?" Sailor Moon exclaimed, worried. Jupiter is the first to the fallen girl's side. "You guys, she's unconscious!" Jupiter announced, worry creasing her forehead. As she spoke, the Protector finally arrived. "What happened?" he asked. "Where's—" he began to ask, and then spotted her form crumpled on the ground. "Nova!" he exclaimed, worried. All the Scouts surrounded the fallen warrior, Jupiter cradling her head in her lap.

"Where were you when this happened, Protector?" Mars demanded angrily.

"Didn't you realize she was in trouble?" Venus asked, her hand on her hip.

"I... I had no idea... I was so used to her being able to take care of herself, and... and now, she's hurt! And you're all blaming me for it!" said the Protector, stuttering, close to tears.

"Leave him alone, you guys. Don't you see he feels bad about this whole thing?" Mercury quickly added in his defense before anyone else could make a jab at him.

Then Mask exclaimed, "Do you remember when the same thing happened to Sailor Moon? How she almost left us? Well, the same thing is happening to Nova right now!"

The Protector uttered a small cry and dashed straight to Nova's side. "He's right," he said with a sigh. He gently picked her up, cradled her in his arms like she was made of glass, and carried her to a nearby bench. The group of defenders surrounded the bench where he laid her down. Colors of energy began to swirl around Nova's still form, just like when Moon was in the same predicament. They waited there, silent, each lost in their own thoughts as they watched her for a minute. Soon Nova opened her eyes slowly, as if they were made of lead.

"Are you going to be okay?" Sailor Moon asked, her voice full of concern for her friend.

"I... need... to talk... to the Protector," Nova whispered faintly.

The others backed away a few feet to give them privacy.

"I'll repeat what Sailor Moon said: Are you going to be okay?" Daran asked, still near tears.

"I'm afraid not, Daran." A single tear slipped down the side of her face and dripped onto the wood of the bench.

__

She used my real name, he thought. _That could only mean..._ "Wha... what do you mean by that, April?"

"I mean I don't think I'm going to pull through this time... " Now Daran was crying openly. "I hate to leave you at a time like this."

"Why can't you pull through?" Daran queried, his eyes full of pain.

"I spent all my energy giving the Scouts strength and healing, and took care of Cerzite on my own. It spent all my energy, making that supernova-like energy ball," Nova told him, even more faintly than before. _Oh, this hurts... Violet! Why did you have to find me? Why must I do this? What is the point? Why me?_ "Now, I want you to take this." She slowly lifted her arm, reached into a pocket, and pulled something out. She then placed a small object in his hand.

"What is it?" Daran asked, glancing down at the object.

"It's a Corusca gem, the match to mine. I want you to have it. And, Daran, I want you to know, I love you." Then they kissed, for the first time ever, and Nova went limp.

"NO!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Then he slumped over Nova's body and cried his heart out.

The others rushed over to him, realized what had happened, and began to cry as well. "I had the feeling it would happen to one of us someday, but wasn't sure, and now it has happened!" Sailor Moon wailed.

* * *

The next day, Violet also prepared to make her warrior friends think she had died. She flew out without her parents' knowledge to the mainland in her X-wing, where she landed near Goku's house. _I really wish I didn't have to do this... here goes..._

After she coded all of the locks on her starfighter Violet flew over to Goku's house, high up on a hill overlooking the small town nearby. Landing softly about thirty feet from the front door, the princess walked up to the house after smoothing her windblown hair. Upon knocking ChiChi answered the door. "Hello, Aria. What brings you here?"

"Oh, I was just in the area and decided to stop by."

"Won't you come in, then?"

"Thank you," Violet replied as the older woman led her inside.

"How are you doing, Aria?" she asked as she led the princess into the kitchen.

"I'm doing fairly well, thank you. Being kept busy, as always."

"Well, at least you have a job so you can support yourself. I love my Goku dearly, but sometimes he is so lazy—I often wonder how we'd get along if my father didn't help us out from time to time," ChiChi complained as she resumed washing the dishes.

Glancing about, Violet was surprised again at the difference between the technology in the palace in Reilar and what was displayed in Goku's home. _It's so... simple, and plain, but they don't mind that at all, it seems. April would probably understand it much better than I can, considering how she was brought up. Maybe that's why she had to grow up that way—so she can understand not only Byrista, but also the rest of the planet we live on._

"Speaking of which, I wonder where he is," ChiChi finished, breaking into Violet's thoughts.

Concentrating briefly, the young woman replied, "He's off to the northwest about ten miles from here—is he with Gohan?"

Goku's wife turned toward Violet with a frown on her face before she remembered that Violet was also a saiyan. "Yes—that son of mine is almost as lazy as his father is. Oh, well—at least he keeps up with his schoolwork... most of the time."

"I'm sure Gohan will make you very proud one of these days—I know he's smart, from what little time I've spent with him."

"Oh, yes, my Gohan is very smart—if only he would spend more time studying and less time out traipsing around and playing with Goku," she said with a long sigh.

"ChiChi, I'm going to be very honest with you—I think that allowing Gohan to spend a little bit of time outdoors each day is good for him. It keeps his mind active by taking in his surroundings and it gives him a chance to work off excess energy so he can concentrate even more on his studies."

ChiChi turned toward Violet once more with wide eyes. "You know, Aria, I never really thought of it that way."

"Besides, you were young once—didn't you spend a lot of time outside?"

"Oh, when I was little I stayed outside all of the time... and I didn't really study too much, either. But back then there was less that was necessary to know than now. Now if Gohan wants to be anything when he grows up—be responsible and be able to support himself and a family—he has to study as much as he can."

"That's true."

Suddenly the door burst open. "Hi, Mom! Is lunch ready?" an eleven- year-old voice sounded out from the entryway.

"Yeah—I'm starving!" a voice twenty-one years older agreed. Two seconds later the owners of the two voices entered the kitchen. "Hey, Aria! I thought I sensed you here," Goku told her with a broad smile.

"Aria! I haven't seen you in, like, forever!" Gohan exclaimed, happy to see her.

"Nice to see you two again, too," Violet replied, also grinning.

"Have you heard about the androids, and the Cell Games, Aria?" Goku asked, suddenly serious as he gingerly sat down at the table—both he and his son had a propensity to break glassware and furniture just by touching them.

The Yavinian princess frowned. "Yes, I have. Were you two out training, then?"

"Yeah," Gohan answered for both of them. "Are you training for it?"

She shook her head sadly. "No."

"No?" Goku asked, a surprised expression on his face.

"Actually, that's why I came, Goku. ChiChi, is lunch ready yet?"

"No—I'm just now starting it."

"All right, then. Goku, do you feel up to going somewhere for a little while? I need to talk to you."

"Can I come too, Aria?" his son piped up.

"Sure, if that's all right with you, ChiChi."

"Of course. Be back in half an hour—lunch will be ready then."

"Sure thing, ChiChi." Goku dashed over to his wife's side, gave her a hasty kiss on the cheek, and then bolted out the door, Violet and Gohan close behind him. As soon as they were out the door they took flight, and Goku moved back to fly parallel to Violet. "So, Aria, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you as soon as we land—over there looks good," she told him as she pointed to a nearby mountainside.

A moment later they had touched ground, and Violet sat down heavily on a nearby stump. "Why aren't you training for the Games, Aria?" Gohan inquired, bursting with curiosity.

"It's a long story, and you two have to promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you, all right?"

"Okay," Goku and his son said in unison after a moment's hesitation.

"Hm... where do I begin? Okay, this all started about five years ago, shortly after I met you guys. One of our scouts learned of a large force being assembled by a man who called himself an admiral. He is a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The problem is he wants to recreate an empire that once spanned half the galaxy almost three hundred standard years ago.

"Once we learned of this we began our preparations for war. Being so young I was not included in the preparations just yet, so I went about my life as usual. But now, in the last few months, things have been really heating up as Gitran -- the admiral -- is now taking over system after system and will soon enter territory that belongs to a government that is known as the New Republic. We have to stop him.

"All of these events have forced me, being the heir to the throne of my country and being a powerful warrior, to work at preparing for war with Gitran and rendered me unable to train for the Cell Games. I really wish I could help you guys out, but I can't."

"Uh, Aria," Gohan said after a moment's silence as the two tried to allow the news to sink in, "if you're not going to be around to say anything, and we're not allowed to say anything, what is everyone else going to think when you don't show up?"

"Good question there, Gohan. The only thing I can think of to prevent that from happening is you are going to tell everyone I'm dead."

"What?" Goku exclaimed, startled at her suggestion.

"If you tell everyone that I died from a strange virus that overtook me about now and took only a day or two to kill me, no one will wonder where I am once the Cell Games start."

"Isn't that kinda drastic, Aria?" Goku queried.

"Yeah, but it's the only thing I can think of."

"Aria?" he asked.

"Yes, Goku?"

"Uh... what about Vegeta?"

Violet blinked hard to keep the tears that had suddenly filled her eyes from spilling down her cheeks. She reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a folded white envelope. "Give this to him—it explains as much as I thought I could explain to him."

"All right, Aria. So... if you get this virus now, how will we explain you got back home?"

"Tell everyone that I seemed like I was getting a little sick, which is why I left so quickly, and that you received word two days from now that I had died."

"Will... will we ever see you again, Aria?" Gohan inquired, his voice a bit shaky.

"That depends on if I die in the war or not and how well you two do at the Cell Games." Impulsively she dashed over to Gohan and hugged him tightly, and then did the same to Goku. With one tear spilling down her left cheek, she told them, "Take care, you two. If either or both of you died, I don't know what I would do."

"We'll do our best. Take care of yourself too, Aria," Goku said.

"I'll sure try. Goodbye."

"Goodbye," they called after her as she took flight back toward her X- wing.

* * *

Three days later Goku told everyone that Aria had died.

"What? What happened?" Bulma demanded as twin tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Apparently she got some sort of virus somehow—they still don't know how she got it—and it killed her in a matter of days. She told Gohan and me that she didn't feel well when she came to see us three days ago, and I think that that was because of this virus," Goku explained, voicing the short speech he had been rehearsing ever since Aria had spoken with them.

"Why don't we wish her back with the dragonballs?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah!" the others agreed in unison.

Goku sighed. "Her parents told me that she had left a note in her will stating that when she died she was not to be wished back. She explained that we would need the wishes more than we would need her."

"Curse that girl!" Vegeta muttered from his position near Goku, barely loud enough for him to hear. "She would just have to go and do something like that."

"That sounds just like Aria, doesn't it," Yamcha said loud enough for the entire group to hear, having missed Vegeta's comment.

The others nodded in agreement. After an hour of reminiscing of Aria and what she had done for all of them in a large group, they dispersed and began to speak in pairs or trios. Goku noted that Vegeta moved away from the others to stand alone in a dark corner.

"Vegeta?" he asked hesitantly, moving toward the older saiyan.

"What is it, Kakarot," he replied gruffly, neglecting to use a questioning tone.

Goku winced slightly at Vegeta's use of his saiyan name, knowing that it was used scornfully. "I have something for you—from Aria."

Vegeta glanced over at him sharply. "What?"

"Here," he replied, handing over the white envelope. "I'm sure you want to read that alone," Goku told him before returning to where the others were talking amongst themselves.

Almost tenderly the crusty saiyan opened the letter.

Dear Vegeta, he read. I'm sure this comes as a shock to you, to learn of my death. It sounds odd, doesn't it? There's something that just doesn't ring true about it. I know you, Vegeta, and I know the way you think. Yes, I'm alive. Now I'm sure you're wondering why on earth I had Goku lie to everyone. Well, it's sort of a long story, but I'm sure you're curious, so I'm going to tell you everything.

Vegeta, my name is not really Aria. My full name is Crown Princess Violet Aria Wakefield of Yavinia. Yes, I am your equal in rank, if you recall telling me that if Vegeta still existed, you would be its prince. I'm truly sorry that I lied to you, but I had to in order for my parents to allow me to speak with any of you. (For some reason they thought you all would somehow harm me. That's because they simply don't know you.)

Now to the why behind my "death." I can't compete in the Cell Games. I knew I had to have some reason for not competing, and pretending to die was the only plausible one I could come up with. You see, my country (and the other three it is allied with) face war. A force that has to be dealt with has arisen from the other side of what we call the Unknown Regions of this galaxy we live in. Since I am a saiyan and the crown princess of Yavinia, I must participate in it.

Look, I'm not actually supposed to be telling you any of this. (As a matter of fact, not even Goku and Gohan should know about me being a princess, but I had to tell someone. Besides, since I can become a super saiyan and you cannot, I felt that you needed to feel superior to me in some way, so I didn't tell you of my rank.) I'm telling you this because I feel I owe you an explanation and because... because I love you. There, I've said it. Now you can take that any way you want, all right? I hope this letter cleared some things up for you, and I hate to say this, but... I don't know if I'll ever see you again.

I say that because for one thing I might die in this upcoming war. I say it for another reason, too—my parents, for some reason which they will not disclose to me, will not allow me to see any of you anymore. I have to obey them because they are not only my parents but they are also my king and queen. Once I get married, however, I will become queen, and they will no longer hold any power over me. Unfortunately, since I cannot see you again means that I doubt I'd be able to marry you (that is, if you even return the feelings I feel for you).

Well, I'll say this one more time: I love you, Vegeta.

Always,

"Aria"

Vegeta blinked rapidly as he finished reading the letter, stunned to feel moisture in his eyes. _I've never felt this way about anyone before in my entire life. Something about her just... hits me somehow. And the fact that she's the heir to a throne of a country... I almost feel bad about the way I flaunted my title in front of her. No, I do feel bad about it. Damn those parents of hers! If they didn't feel the way they do about me and the others, there would be nothing stopping me from marrying Aria._

With a frustrated cry he replaced the letter in the envelope, stuck it in an obliging pocket, and took flight. He did not care where he was going; he just wanted to get away to a place where he could think. "Come back!" he cried at the top of his lungs. No one could hear him, however: the speed of the wind whipping past his face carried the sound away, rendering him inaudible.


	11. Arrival

The day after Sailor Nova's "death" was dreary, as if even the weather was aware of the grief of a certain teenage boy. That afternoon, at his house, the phone rang. "Hello?" Daran's mother, Rena, said as she answered it. "Oh, hello, Allison. How are you?" "What?!?" "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" she exclaimed, eyes filling up with tears. "How did it happen?" "Car accident?" "When is it?" "Yeah, I should tell him... but I don't know how!" "Yeah, I guess... do you want me to bring you and Ryan any meals?" "All right, I'll bring something over tomorrow for lunch and dinner." "Take care." "Goodbye." She hung up and walked over into the kitchen to grab a tissue and blew her nose.

Daran walked in. "Hi, Mom," he said. He went over to the pantry and grabbed a snack, then sat down at the table heavily and laid his head down with a thud.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, wondering if somehow he had already heard.

Daran did not answer her. He simply sighed and shifted his position slightly.

Rena sat down next to her son and put her hand on his shoulder. "Daran, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it," he said in a low tone of voice, the question becoming a statement.

"Well, I was just called a moment ago... you probably heard it ring... and found out from her mother that April died in a car accident as she was driving home from a friend's house last night."

Daran looked over at his mother in shock, tears welling up in his eyes. "April died in a car accident last night?"

Rena nodded, unable to speak. After her voice returned, she said, "The funeral is a week from Sunday. Will you be going?"

He nodded, his face a mask of suppressed anguish. Seconds later he dashed out of the room and up the stairs. As soon as he reached his room he slammed the door shut and broke down in tears, pounding his fist on his bed and soaking his pillow. _April... why? Why did you have to be so noble and sacrifice yourself in the process? Why did you have to leave me here, all alone?_

[Is she truly dead?]

Abruptly his tears stopped. _Wait a second! Since when did April die in a car accident? She died in my arms from using up all of her energy so that she didn't even have enough left to keep her alive! It must be just some way that her parents are keeping the truth a secret from the world_. Daran frowned. _But where did that thought come from... I smell a fish... I'm going to call her mother and see if I'm right in assuming that it's a cover story or if something else is going on..._

* * *

April sighed heavily. _This is all so weird... why did I ever agree to do this for Violet? I don't know her all that well, and now my life is a wreck... whatever she needs me for, she better have me do it soon, otherwise I'll feel certain that all this was a waste! _Shifting the bag of groceries to her other arm, she reached into her purse for her apartment key and entered.

Placing the bag on the counter, she walked over to the window and gazed outside. _This view of the ocean is so much different than the forests I'm used to… back home... which is a few hundred miles away. _Wiping away a tear, she left the apartment and retrieved the mail. All but one envelope was addressed to Ariana Watson. The other was addressed to June Watson. _That would be me_, April thought dejectedly. _But why would I get mail_? She returned to the apartment and sat down to read the letter. 

__

Dear April,

I am, as you can probably see by the postmark, right now in Afghanistan finishing up what will be my last case with the AIA. It'll be my last because the Agency is going to think that I've been killed in the line of duty. You're probably wondering how I will do this. I rigged a message that will be sent to them in a few days that says I was captured by terrorists who apparently thought that I was a civilian (I speak the language well), but then found out that I was an agent and killed me. It has a few holes, but they're terrorists (and don't speak English well), so the Agency should believe it. If not, I tried my best.

Since I'm returning to Arist on Thursday, we will be leaving this weekend. I believe that you haven't forgotten why I asked you to go through all of this for me. Well, it all starts on Friday night. So you need to pack everything you have and have it ready to go by then. April, you have no idea how much I appreciate all of this, and I promise that everything will begin to make sense soon. I just wish I didn't have to keep you in the dark so much about all this, but it's what I've been told to do. I'll see you soon. "Violet"

_She's going by what she's been told to do? I wonder who's giving her the orders... well, at least I now know I'll be getting some answers soon_. April set the letter down and picked up the envelope. The postmark said that it had been mailed Thursday. _Well, since it's Monday, I've got three days to make sure I have everything and am ready for the new life that awaits me. I really have to wonder why on earth I agreed to all of this..._

* * *

That afternoon Daran left a message on his mother's cell phone letting her know that he was going over to a friend's house and would be back later. He grabbed his car keys and drove over to April's house to talk to her mother. He parked in the driveway and rang the doorbell.

Allison answered it. "Hello, Daran," she said, her eyes tinged with red.

"Hello," he replied, looking little better.

"Come on inside." She led him into their living room and sat down in an armchair. Daran sat on the couch across from her. Taking a deep breath, Allison said, "You asked me on the phone if I knew anything that was different about April, but you didn't elaborate very much."

"My older sister was in the room, and I didn't want to say anything in front of her."

"Do you think you could tell me what you meant?"

"I'm not exactly sure how to say this... "

April's mother waited patiently.

"Did you know of her... unique skills?"

"Unique?"

"That she... that she was a... Scout?"

"Oh, yes, she was a Girl Scout when she was younger."

Daran paused for a moment to let his rising irritation simmer down somewhat. He opened his mouth to say something else when Allison held a hand up. "Yes, I know that she was a Sailor Scout by the name Sailor Nova."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You do? Did she tell you?"

"No."

His eyes narrowed. "If you don't mind my asking... if she didn't tell you, how do you know?"

Her mother looked away from him and out the window, a single tear tracing its way down her cheek. "It's a very long story."

"I'm listening."

She looked straight into his eyes. "I need you to promise me something: you must promise never to tell anyone else what I am about to tell you."

"I promise," he replied solemnly.

Allison sighed and leaned back in the chair. "And please be patient. This will take a while." She was silent for a moment, and then began the story. "April is not my biological daughter."

"Yes, she told me that she was adopted."

"But, she is related to me. Rather, she is related to my husband, distantly." She looked at Daran again. "This is going to sound crazy... actually, I know what will explain this the best. Wait here for a moment." She walked up the stairs into her bedroom and came back about five minutes later with a few sheets of paper in her hand. She handed them over to the young man before sitting back down again. It took him a few minutes to read it through.

When he finished, he looked up at April's mother, a shocked expression on his face. "This is all true?"

"Yes."

"Can you explain a few things?" Daran then proceeded to ask about all of the parts of the letter that he did not understand.

Over half an hour later, Allison said, "And that's about all I know."

Daran leaned back, trying to let it all soak in. "So she's not dead?"

"No."

"But... to me, it sounds like that, to us at least, she almost is dead."

With tears in her eyes, her mother said, "We'll never see her again."

Wordlessly he handed the letter back over to Allison, said goodbye, and left. Once he returned home, he immediately went up to his bedroom, shut and locked the door, and cried for an hour. _You are dead to me now, April. I know you are alive out there, somewhere, but I will never see you again... and that is worse than thinking that you're truly dead._

* * *

April turned on the living room lamp and sat down after she had changed into the clothes she slept in on Wednesday night. She sighed heavily, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. Almost immediately she opened them again. _I don't even want to think anymore. My grief is my constant companion, and a cruel one at that. Every time I close my eyes, Daran's image swims up into view, and just after I see his face I see the faces of my parents and other friends. This is so hard! Why does Violet keep telling me that this is the way it has to be? Why must I fulfill those stupid legends, anyway? They're just legends... nothing concrete. Though it is strange that they forecasted my becoming a Sailor Scout... and that I would have a cat... and that I would have a Protector..._

"April? Are you all right?" Vega asked as she trotted into the room.

The princess of Byrista sighed again. "I don't know if I'll ever be all right again, Vega. Why me? Why does it have to be me?"

The brown cat did not answer. Instead she rubbed her face against April's leg and jumped up onto her lap.

April looked down at her cat. "I'm just glad I was able to take you with me. If I had had to leave everything behind... I probably would have broken down or something."

Vega curled up in her companion's lap and began to purr. April absentmindedly stroked her head and slowly drifted off to sleep.

A loud knock on the door woke her up four hours later. April slowly sat up as she tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes. Vega had already woken up and was trotting over to the door when the knock sounded again. "April, I'm not tall enough to get the door, so you'd better do it."

"I'm coming," she replied sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and rolled her head around as she tried to work out the kink in her neck from her odd sleeping position. April heard a pop and grimaced. "Vega... the next time I fall asleep in a chair, wake me up, okay?"

"You mean it's uncomfortable to sleep in a chair? I've always thought it was rather pleasant," the cat replied, feigning ignorance.

"Vega, this is not the time for sarcasm," April said irritably.

"Sorry."

A moment later April opened the door to see Violet standing there. Her hair was somewhat mussed and her clothing a bit disheveled. "Is something the matter, Violet?"

"I'll explain inside," she whispered.

April moved back to allow the older princess entry. After closing the door behind them and leading her into the living room, she repeated her question.

"Oh, I just had a bit of trouble that I had to take care of... that's all."

"Trouble?"

"Things are moving much faster than I had anticipated. Indeed, they are moving faster than even our tacticians back home had expected."

"What kind of things?"

"Remember the problem I spoke of when we first met? That of Admiral Gitran and his forces?"

"Yes..."

"He sent some of his people after me."

"What? How was he able to locate you?"

"Canada is not as densely populated as Arist is, which was to his advantage, and he must have discovered my alias—I was stupid enough to rent this apartment under that name."

"So... why didn't he send people after me, then?"

"My guess is that they were to take me out first, then come after you."

"Oh. How did you take care of them?"

"Simple. I powered up."

"You... powered up?" April's expression betrayed her bewilderment.

"Yes. I didn't explain it to you, did I?"

The younger girl shook her head.

Violet proceeded to explain as quickly as she could.

April's eyes were wide by the end of Violet's speech. "Whoa... you can really do all of those things?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did Gitran's people know?"

"Obviously not. They were completely taken by surprise."

"Did any get away?"

Violet frowned. "Not any that attacked me, no."

__

What about communications?

The girl blinked, then did as she -- so she assumed -- had thought of. "Is it possible that they had some sort of coordinator or something? Someone they were able to communicate with?"

"What are you getting at, April?"

__

What if they know...?

"What if they were able to notify someone about your special talents? Then that information would certainly get to this admiral person, and I don't think that would be a good thing."

The other princess looked at her in shock. "Now that you mention it, I did notice one of them—one of the last I took out—talking to himself, or so I thought. He must have been talking to another person on the strike team." Violet pounded her fist down on the coffee table and neatly cracked it down the middle. "Oops. I guess I forget my own strength sometimes," she said sheepishly. The princess of Yavinia then looked directly at April. "That's quite a mind you have there. Now, we ought to be going—there's no time to lose."

April frowned inwardly before returning to the conversation. _Were those thoughts really mine? _Suddenly she thought she felt an alien presence, but just as she mentally reached out to it, the sense vanished.

"Give me a chance to get into some better clothes, first," she said aloud, wrenching her mind back to the conversation by glancing down at the oversized T-shirt and running shorts she had on.

"Are you pretty much packed?"

April nodded.

"Five minutes, then."

She nodded again and left the room. Less than five minutes later she had returned, wearing a light blue blouse and black jeans. April was also carrying her two suitcases and her backpack. Vega trotted along at her side. "I'm ready, Violet," she said, the words coming out a bit reluctantly.

Violet noticed. _She's hesitant. I don't blame her. I would be too, if I were in her shoes. Thankfully, I'm not... but I'd better keep her feelings in mind. _"Let's go, then," she said aloud, leading the other girl out of the apartment and shutting the door behind them.

"What about the apartment?" April asked.

"One of my people is going to take care of it. Come along. We have a shuttle to catch."

"A shuttle? What type?"

"Lambda-class, I believe."

"Spiffy."

"Spiffy?" Violet repeated with a chuckle.

April glared at her, the expression more harsh than she had intended. "Yes, spiffy. Unlike you, I grew up with this area's technology. The most advanced thing I've been in is an airplane."

The older girl blinked, then laughed. "True." Taking the lead again, Violet walked down the pathway onto the sidewalk with April in tow. Since it was early in the morning, the moon had already set and the sun had yet to rise. The sky was very black, and the stars' pinpoints of light did little to break its ominous coloring. If it had not been for the streetlights, it would have been difficult to see one's hand even if it was six inches away from one's face.

"Where are we headed?" April asked after walking for about ten minutes.

"The large field behind the elementary school not too far from here. It should only be about another ten minutes' walk."

About that amount of time later they arrived at the field.

"I don't see anything," April commented with a frown.

"Wait." Seconds after her observation an odd shimmering appeared about one hundred feet from where they were standing, and a shuttle appeared on the field after the shimmering had faded. "A cloaking device," Violet explained.

"How did the pilot know we were here? I thought one couldn't see through a cloaking shield either way," April said with a frown.

The older princess glanced at her in surprise. "Good observation there—but over the years we've developed a cloaking shield which one can see out but not in."

"Nice."

April walked behind Violet as they approached the ship, the former staring at it in awe. With a quiet hum of moving hydraulics the boarding ramp lowered for them. Violet walked up it with the ease of having done so many times, while April came slower, her eyes darting everywhere as they took in every detail of the ship. Once the two were inside, the ramp rose back into place, effectively sealing the ship back up again.

The thud of the ramp returning to its original position made April jump. _This is really happening. I'm really leaving everyone behind. I'll never ever see any of them again. Cara, Mariel, Alice, Brian, Mom, Dad, and... Daran. They're gone, and gone forever. It's like they all died... _A single tear slipped down her cheek and dripped onto the metal floor of the cabin with a plinking sound.

Violet walked over to the girl she was beginning to consider as a friend and put her arm around her shoulders. "Why don't I show you the cockpit?" she asked gently.

April blinked rapidly and glanced over at her. "Really?"

"Why not?" she asked with a grin. "This way." The two walked down the corridor into a small cabin, which held four seats, three large viewports, and a lot of buttons, dials, levers, and other types of controls.

The pilot typed in a command and then turned to face them, a roguish grin on his face. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Princess?"

Violet laughed outright as he stood. "Aaron! How did you manage to get away from your work?" she asked as she moved to embrace him.

"Trade secret," he said with a wink.

"Whatever, mister."

"Actually, your father asked me if I wanted to pick you up. He told me I deserved a break, and that the trip would do me good."

She laughed again, but stopped short as she remembered something. Taking a step back, she said with a more formal note in her voice, "Aaron, I would like you to meet Crown Princess April Winslow of Byrista."

"It is an honor, Princess," he said with a bow, his tone as formal as Violet's. "We've been waiting for your return for almost fifteen years."

"April, this is Aaron King, Yavinia's foremost weapons specialist."

"And all-around good-looking guy, of course," he added with another grin.

April chuckled. "Are all weapons specialists like him?" she asked Violet with a raised eyebrow, pointing a thumb at Aaron.

"Nah. Most are much more handsome." With a critical eye, she appraised him for a moment. "I'd say he's one of the uglier ones."

"Ugly? Did you just call me ugly?" he said with an indignant look.

"Princesses shouldn't lie," Violet replied loftily.

Their insults went south from there. April took the chance to appraise him for herself while they fenced with words. Aaron King did not look like a typical specialist. He looked to be almost six feet tall, and he had short yellow-blond hair that seemed to have been bleached by sun exposure. His face and arms were tan, also giving rise to the appearance of being outside a lot. He had greenish-blue eyes that sparkled when he laughed, and he also looked like he either participated in sports or worked out. April guessed him to be in his late twenties, at most.

"Okay, Aaron, that's enough," Violet said with a grin. "I don't think that April wants to hear any more insults out of us. Besides, we need to get home. There's a lot to be done."

"That's for sure," Aaron agreed, his expression turning serious. He sat back down in the pilot's chair and began hitting buttons as he prepared for liftoff.

April frowned as she noticed something. "Don't you need a copilot?"

"This is our latest version of a Lambda," he told her without looking up. "One of Alendre's spacecraft designers figured out how to eliminate the need of a copilot by reworking the cockpit system about twenty-three years ago. This freed up a number of pilots for both military and commercial jobs."

"Oh."

"April, why don't we get settled for liftoff?" Violet suggested. "I doubt you want to carry those bags around for the entire flight."

"No, I don't. Thanks." Violet led her back out of the cockpit, through the main cabin, and into the cargo hold. There she deposited the luggage on a metal shelf and strapped it in. There was nothing else in the hold. April was then taken back to the main cabin, where Violet showed her how to strap in. Shortly afterward they lifted off after reengaging the cloaking shield. As the minutes ticked by April's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until finally she drifted off to sleep.

__

"She's dead!" Sailor Moon cried out in anguish.

Everyone assembled began to weep at her words. The Protector exclaimed, "It's all my fault! It's my fault she's gone!"

April wanted to tell him that he was completely wrong, that it was not his fault, but her body would not respond as a result of the death technique she had used. "Why didn't Violet tell me how to end it early?" she wondered to herself.

A scream rang out. It was Sailor Mercury's. Cerzite had returned to life.

"What? But Sailor Nova killed you!" Sailor Jupiter gasped in shock.

He cackled. "You really think that pathetic girl's attack would take care of me? Think again. And now she's dead." He tutted in mock sorrow. "What a pity."

Enraged, the Protector launched a full-scale energy attack at him. The dust cleared, and not a single mark had been made on him! "What the... " he said, stunned.

"Let's look at the logic here," Cerzite said, pretending to think. "The dead Sailor's largest attack could not defeat me, and now you think you can? How silly." He struck next. The blow was physical, rather than an energy attack. His left fist connected sharply with the Protector's jaw and sent him sailing. The Protector did not move after hitting the ground.

April tried to scream his name, but her efforts were in vain. Her body had been immobilized, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Sailors Mercury and Jupiter attacked next, concerting their efforts. Cerzite called up a shield of energy just as the force hit him. The only effect it had on him was the fact that he was slightly winded. Both girls' mouths hung open in astonishment.

Cerzite replied with his own attack again—this one a barb of energy that drove straight into Jupiter's heart. The young woman was thrown to the ground by the blow and crumpled on the sidewalk in a heap.

"Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Moon screamed and dashed to her friend's side. One look betrayed the truth. "No!" she cried as the tears began rolling down her cheeks.

"What's the matter, Moon girl? You upset about your friend? Well, don't be. You'll be joining her soon! But first, there is another I will take care of." Conjuring up another barb, he threw it at the downed Protector, also hitting him in the heart. The Protector's body jerked once, then remained still.

April woke up panting.

"Are you all right?" Violet queried, a worried frown creasing her features.

"Yeah... I had a nightmare... the same one I've been having ever since the night I 'died,'" she said, still breathless.

"What type of nightmare?"

April told it to her.

She looked at her in shock once April had finished. "And you've been having that almost every night?"

The younger princess nodded. "At least once a night... but for some reason I didn't have it while I slept on the chair in the apartment earlier tonight."

"That's good."

"Yeah." April glanced out the viewport. "How much longer until we get there?"

"About thirty minutes."

She frowned. "How long was I asleep?"

"Only about an hour."

April's eyes widened. "It only takes an hour and a half for this ship to travel over four thousand miles?"

"I guess so."

"Wow... cool." She looked out the viewport again. "I wonder if he knows I'm still alive."

"You mean Daran?"

"Yeah."

"How would he know?"

April shook her head. "I have no clue. Maybe he's better off thinking that I'm dead than knowing I'm still alive but will never see me again."

"You mean unlike yourself."

April nodded. "I miss him so much, Violet. Much more than you can imagine."

The other princess hesitated at the younger girl's words, then sighed. "I'm sorry it had to be like this—truly, I am."

"Why? Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn't he at least know the truth? And why couldn't he come with me?"

"April, I wish I knew. I'm as much in the dark as you are when it comes to why, for all your questions. But... why would you want him to come with you? This is going to be fairly dangerous, you know."

"So? We've faced a lot of danger together in the past. We made a good team. I looked out for him, and he looked out for me. It worked out well. He's a fast learner, and I know he could use his quick reflexes with a blaster—he'd be able to protect himself."

"But would he leave his family?"

That brought the younger princess up short. "I... I don't know."

There was a brief pause before Violet spoke up again. "April, I know what it's like to leave someone you love with the knowledge that you'll never see him again."

The younger princess' head jerked up sharply, and she stared at Violet for a moment before replying, "Really? What happened?"

The young saiyan sighed again. "Earlier this evening I explained to you that I am a saiyan. You understand that concept now, right?"

April nodded.

"All right. There are other saiyans on the earth, who for some reason scare my parents. They told me a few years ago that I was not to see them again after I told my parents about meeting them. I ignored their orders and saw them quite often. Over the past few years I've especially gotten to know one of them, named Vegeta. He's a pretty abrasive guy, but once you get to know him, there's something inside that he doesn't like to show—I think he should show it, but he'd think it would make him look soft or something.

"Anyway, he and I trained together... often. He showed me some techniques I'd never heard of and I pushed him as much as I could in an attempt to force him to become a super saiyan. In the course of our training we talked a lot, and I found myself falling in love with him.

"However, before I had a chance to find out if he returned my feelings for him, we heard about Gitran assembling a large force and I realized that I would have to devote all my time and energy to the war effort. That meant that there would be no chances at all for me to sneak away and see Vegeta and the others. Besides, there's something going on that they would expect me to participate in, and I had to keep them from discovering who I really am, so I asked a friend of mine in the group who I could trust with my life to tell everyone in the group that I had died and to give Vegeta a letter explaining everything." Violet sighed heavily, signaling that she was finished.

April had a lot of questions to ask the older girl about her story, but when she spotted the lone tear trickling down her cheek decided against pestering her about it. _She looks like she's had about as much pain as I have. I think I need to reconsider my earlier opinion of her—she's stronger and has gone through more than I would have given her credit for._

Silence reigned for the next few minutes. "You mentioned legends earlier... how did they come into being, anyway?" April asked, more to break the silence and change the topic from the earlier one than out of any real curiosity on the subject.

Violet glanced over at her and paused before answering the question. "Back in the time of Luke Skywalker, after he had arrived on Earth, there were Jedi who were so closely attuned to the Force that they could see far into the distant future. One Jedi, Liselle Strevar, saw something that she could not make out at first. But the vision kept returning to her. It was of you. It was your legend, known as the Winslow Legend, that she kept seeing."

"But what was in the vision?"

"It's not my place to tell you—it is the place of another, and, like I said, you already know the person."

April had expected that answer. "So... are there any other legends?"

"Another Jedi, Isak Ynara, had a vision of a man coming to Earth who was human in every way save for the fact that he had a tail. He then married a descendant of Luke Skywalker's, who became queen a few years later."

"Did this legend ever come true?"

"Oh, yes. It is of a direct ancestor of mine, Selana Wakefield. She married a man who took on the name Ryle, who was the man in the vision. He was a saiyan, which explains the tail. He came to Earth to escape his homeworld."

"Why did he want to escape it?"

"It wasn't exactly his homeworld that he wanted to escape. Rather, it was the evil that was spreading across it like a plague from which he wanted freedom. So he came to Earth. Then others of his race came after him to take him back to his father, the king of Vegeta, his homeworld. He took care of them and remained on Earth. If you want, April, I can give you a copy of a book that has all of these legends in it."

"Sounds good." April fell silent then, and Violet decided that if they were to speak, April would have to be the one to initiate conversation. The younger girl had been through quite a bit over the past few weeks, and Violet felt that it would be best to give her space.

True to her word, they landed at Yavinia's main spaceport, located in the capital city of Reilar, half an hour later. Since they had spent only ninety minutes in the air and left the eastern coast of Arist shortly after midnight, it was not yet nine in the evening in Yavinia. April was out of sync enough to be startled to see the sun not yet set in the western sky.

"What time is it?" she asked as she stifled a yawn while they were landing.

"Ten 'til nine local time, I think," Violet replied. "Weird, eh?"

"Yeah." April yawned again. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

"I am too. Don't worry about your bags—one of the servants will tend to them. A limo should be waiting at the end of the ramp when we get out, which will then take us to the palace."

Had April been more awake, she would have been thrilled at the idea of a ride in a limousine and about visiting a palace, but she was too tired to care. Though Violet was also worn out, she saw that her friend was drooping and helped her out of the shuttle and into the car. _I'm glad Mother and Father took care to keep the knowledge of April's arrival a secret from the press_, Violet thought. _It's not as bad here as it is over on the continent, but it's still the press... and April really doesn't need that right now. She needs to get used to the idea of being a princess first. And a crown princess at that._

Once they arrived at the palace, Aaron helped Violet get April up to the rooms that would be hers until she moved over to Byrista. Her luggage was already up there waiting for her. As soon as Violet left, April changed into her PJs and promptly fell asleep on the huge bed that had been provided for her. Vega had prudently decided earlier to keep her mouth shut and settled down on the pillow next to April's head, so that she would be seen as soon as the young princess woke up.

"Do you think she'll be able to adjust easily?" Aaron asked his friend after they had dropped April off at her rooms.

Violet shook her head sadly. "I don't know, Aaron. She's been through so much lately that I'm surprised she's coping as well as she is. I fear for her, though. She's keeping everything to herself, pretty much, and that's not easy on a person. And now she's completely cut off from everything familiar to her. She has to learn how to be a princess, and then learn how to rule, since she will be queen of Byrista one day."

"I'm sure everything will turn out all right," Aaron said optimistically.

"I wish I could be so positive. April has been completely uprooted from one place and planted in another at the most emotionally turbulent time of her life. She's a normal teenager, and you know how those years are."

He nodded his agreement. "We should take things slowly with her, then."

"Yes." Violet frowned. "I wonder how she'll take meeting her real parents."

"When will she meet them?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, I believe. Sometime on Friday—hopefully—she'll leave with them for Byrista. All the royal families will arrive on Saturday, and there will be a grand ceremony there on Sunday. As soon as she's crowned princess we'll all return here and begin our war plans in earnest."

Aaron sighed. "Would it be too much to hope for that there would never be any more wars?"

"Knowing the way sentient beings think and act, yes, unfortunately."

"I was afraid of that. You look wiped, Violet. You should get some rest."

"Yeah, I know. Goodnight, Aaron."

"Sleep well, Princess." Teasingly he kissed the back of her hand in a grand gesture, then walked off down the hallway. Violet shook her head at his retreating back and then went to her own suite on the next floor. 


	12. Overwhelmed

The next morning April did not wake up until after nine o'clock. Her curtains had been opened, allowing a beam of sunlight to shine into her room. Blinking, the young woman sat up and stretched. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to get rid of the heavy-lidded feeling. When she lowered her hands she glanced around the room she was in, and gasped before remembering where she was.

__

I'm in Yavinia now, she reminded herself. _I will never see my family or friends ever again. I have to learn how to make my way in a whole new world._ She shook her head violently. _But I don't want to! I want to wake up in my bed in my room and find that this was all a bad dream. Unfortunately, that's only wishful thinking…_

With a heavy sigh she swung her legs out of bed and stood. April stretched for a few moments, then looked through her clothes to find something suitable to wear in a palace. Eventually she settled on a green blouse and a pair of nice khaki shorts. _From what Violet said, I would guess the climate here to be somewhat like Hawaii's. Warm. I am not going to wear pants in a climate like this unless I have to._

Glancing around her room, April soon spotted an open door that lead into a large, luxurious bathroom. She whistled appreciatively when she walked inside it. _Nice place here._ She turned on the tap for the bath and soon was relaxing in hot soapy water, wishing her troubles could be washed away as easily as dirt.

Twenty minutes later April glanced at her fingers and discovered that they were getting shriveled up. She smiled ruefully. _I have to get out now, don't I? Oh, well. I have to face my fate eventually—no point in putting it off any further._ She stood and stepped out of the tub as she grabbed a thick towel hanging over a nearby rail. Drying herself off quickly, she put her clothes on and proceeded to work on her hair. As she began to comb out the snarls, a knock sounded on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called out.

Violet walked through the bedroom and into the bathroom. "How did you sleep?" she asked, leaning up against the doorjamb. April thought she seemed a bit weary, but dismissed the thought as she answered the princess.

"Pretty well. I slept for a while, didn't I?" April replied as she winced while fighting with a large knot.

"Eleven hours or so, I would guess. As soon as you're ready, breakfast is available in the dining hall."

"Dining hall?" April echoed a bit apprehensively.

Violet chuckled. "Don't worry—the whole palace staff isn't down there awaiting your arrival."

April heaved an audible sigh of relief. "Good." She gasped as a thought hit her. "Where's Vega?"

Violet laughed. "She's wandering around the palace—she told me that she thought you'd sleep forever, so she left when you still hadn't woken up at eight o'clock and started exploring."

"Sounds like her, all right."

"Do you want some help with that?" Violet queried as she watched the younger princess struggle with another knot.

"Sure."

Violet leaned over and grabbed another comb. Gently she began working out the snarls in April's hair. "How are you going to do your hair?" she asked.

"I don't know. Is what I'm wearing all right?"

The older princess glanced down from her work. "Yes. We're not all that formal here unless we're hosting some sort of event or going about government business or greeting nobility. You don't need to dress up until after lunch."

"What's going on after lunch?"

Violet paused before answering. "You'll be meeting your real parents."

"They're here?"

"No—they're arriving shortly after noon today. They are really anxious to meet you, April. You have no idea what they have gone through over the past fifteen years: first thinking you were gone for good, then relying on a prophecy telling them they had to wait for your return. All the while they based their trust on simply a prophecy: that it would come true and not turn out to be false. They have been hinging all of their hopes on that prophecy, April. If something happened and it had never come true…I don't know what would have happened."

April frowned. "What is this prophecy, anyway?"

"I think I can answer that," a familiar voice said from the bedroom.

April whirled around, startling Violet and losing a few strands of hair in the process. "Aunt Elaine? What on earth are you doing here?" she gasped when she spotted the older woman seated on her bed.

Elaine Morgan smiled at the princess of Byrista. "It's a long story, but you will finally be able to hear it."

April glanced back at Violet. "She's the one who's going to explain all this stuff to me?"

The older princess nodded, her hands still busy. "Elaine…would it be all right if you told the story right here? My hands are kind of tied."

"Sure, Princess. April, to start off, I'm not really your aunt."

"I kind of figured that," she replied with a sigh.

"To explain, I need to go way back, back before you were born. Your father married late in life, which concerned his parents because he could not become king until after he was married. He married your mother, the princess of the Windward Islands, when he was thirty years old. That December he was crowned king of Byrista.

"Two years after your parents got married, your brother, Gavin, was born."

April interrupted her at this point. "I have a brother?" she asked, stunned.

"Had. Gavin died suddenly a month later. None of the doctors in the palace could figure out what had caused his death. Your mother was absolutely heartbroken. A few months later, however, she became pregnant with you, and that eased her grief significantly. You can see why you are so important to them in just that regard.

"You were born about nine months later, in October, of course. About a month before you were born I was hired to be your caretaker and help out your mother in the nursery. After you were born I did just that. Then, one cloudy day the September before your first birthday, your mother came down with a strange illness.

"At first it seemed like she only had a bad cold, but it soon turned for the worse. None of the doctors could figure out what disease was crippling her, since she had been forced to take to her bed. Your father was frantic with worry, and it seemed that the entire nation was slowed during your mother's sickness. To everyone's astonishment, two weeks after she had come down with that cold your mother was in almost perfect health. No one had any idea how she recovered—one day she was so weak she couldn't stand up, and the next she was almost healed.

"Just in case the malady had given your mother long lasting effects, the palace medical team checked her over. Unfortunately, the disease _did_ damage her—it made her barren. Your parents realized that in order to continue the Winslow line, you had to survive.

"They weren't the only ones to figure that out. A group of terrorists from the Vleka system did as well. Days after your first birthday an anonymous letter was delivered here at the palace letting the royal house know that April was in danger of being kidnapped.

"Of course, your father ordered the nursery to be under heavy guard twenty-four hours a day, and I took to sleeping on a cot near your crib. Then the unthinkable happened.

"It was a cool December night. I woke up around two in the morning, but could not figure out why I had awakened. I glanced over at your crib and to my dismay saw two men clothed entirely in black reach down into your crib and lift you out. Since the guard had strategically placed my cot in the shadows of the room, there was no way the men could have seen me. I drew my blaster from the shelf next to my cot and shot the first man.

"Unfortunately when I had been cleaning the blaster two days earlier I had switched it to stun and never turned it back. So before I could get off another shot the second man put you back in the crib and hit my hand hard enough for me to let go of the pistol. He then knocked me to the ground. He must have thought he had knocked me out since he then walked over to his fallen partner and stuck a patch on his neck. Seconds later the man woke up and stood.

"The first man took me by the arms and dragged me along the floor, allowing his partner to take you out. As we went through the door out into the corridor I saw that the guards had been killed. Since they were highly trained, and since there were six of them, I guessed that they had been drugged somehow and were made sluggish by the substance. The terrorists must not have made it potent enough to completely knock them out.

"They took us out to a waiting ship and took off once we had been secured. Before they did so, however, I felt a prick of a needle on the back of my neck and realized I had been drugged. That was all the time I had to think before lapsing into unconsciousness.

"The next thing I knew I was in a dark, musty cabin lying on a rough bench. You were nearby, sleeping in a makeshift crib. Hours went by before anything happened. Then one of the men slipped a tray of food underneath the door. I ate it, since an hour earlier I had found myself ravenous, and kept the utensils. I thought I might be able to find a means to escape by using those. It turned out that I did not need them.

"Three days after our arrival, give or take a few hours, the man who came with the food opened the door for some reason. I grabbed the nearest object I could lay my hands on—a chair—and brought it crashing down on his head. Then I grabbed you and made my escape.

"It was early evening, and I found myself in a forest. I heard a faint noise that sounded like traffic and made my way toward it. Five minutes later I ended up on a sidewalk along a major roadway. A nearby sign read 'Lake City, 1 mile,' and pointed in the direction of the town. I followed the roadway to it, and as I walked I realized that Lake City was a large town located in the country of Arist. I realized that the terrorists had not taken us to their planet, like I had originally thought.

"For some reason I had long planned to visit that country, so I had already made a bank account in the country's main bank for myself with a fair amount of funds deposited. Once I reached the city I asked for directions to the nearest bank branch and was pleased to find that it was only a few blocks away. There I withdrew some cash and made my way to the nearest hotel.

"The next day I went to a department store and bought you and me some necessities. I was waiting in line to purchase the items when a thought hit me. I remembered that in my research on Arist I had found a distant relative of yours there. I decided that it would be a good idea to visit them, and possibly ask them to care for you.

"A few days later I did just that after securing a job as a secretary at a nearby law firm. I was pleased to find that they were a young married couple with no children. Your adoptive mother told me that she was barren, so I explained the situation to them. She was overjoyed at the prospect of having a child, and so was your adoptive father. I also told them all about your special powers, and about the fact that you would have to return." With a sigh Elaine Morgan finished her story.

April simply stared at her in shock, her hair troubles forgotten. "They…they knew that I was a princess? And they knew that I was a Scout, too?"

Her 'aunt' nodded.

"No wonder you wanted me back—without me the royalty of Byrista would die with my real parents."

"Yes."

April frowned as a thought hit her. "Why is it so important? Isn't there someone else, someone whose title is near that of the royal family, who could take over?"

Both Elaine and Violet stared at her, stunned at her question, before realizing that there were many things the young woman still needed to learn. "Let's just say, for now, that we must keep the Skywalker line alive," Violet informed her vaguely.

"I…Luke Skywalker was my ancestor?"

"Yes," Elaine replied. "You're the last of your family, and thus the last of Byrista's Skywalker royal line. Does everything make a bit more sense now?"

April nodded. _It makes more sense…I guess…but it doesn't mean I have to like it._

"Now, dear, let's see about your hair. You do want to look good for your parents, now, don't you?"

"Yes." _They never explained the whole prophecy thing to me, did they? Oh, well, I'll ask someone about it later, then._

You should—it's very important.

Inwardly April gasped, but nothing showed on her face somehow. _That voice! It's that voice again! Who are you?_

Calm yourself, Princess. You'll find out soon enough.

April sat there, stunned, as Violet and Elaine spent the next twenty minutes on her hair and soon had a beautiful style done. April's red-gold hair was placed high up on her head in curls, kept there by a large silver clip. A strand of hair hung down over each ear, curled into a spring like shape. 

"Why don't you two go down to breakfast? I'll see you later—I have some other work to do," Elaine told them after admiring their handiwork.

The two princesses nodded in agreement and they soon were walking down the lavishly carpeted stairs toward the dining hall. There Violet's parents and brother, who were halfway through their own meals, greeted them. "April, I would like you to meet my parents, King Ryo and Queen Ariana, and my brother, Prince Cass. Mom, Dad, Cass, I would like you to meet Crown Princess April Winslow of Byrista."

The three nodded gravely in April's direction, and she did her best to return the gesture. As she sat down April allowed herself to appraise the royal family. Violet had told her earlier that Cass would be eighteen next month, on July 15. The king and queen looked to be in their early fifties. Only the king had a small area of gray hair around his temples—the queen's hair remained a beautiful lustrous blonde.

Violet sat down next to the younger princess. "They won't bite," she whispered to her reassuringly.

April nodded hesitantly in reply but refrained from speaking.

__

She's pretty good-looking, Cass thought to himself after he had taken a moment to look her over. _From what Violet has told me, though, I probably shouldn't bug her too much…at first. She's been through a lot lately._

Since none of them were sure of what to say, the meal passed in relative silence. As soon as she had finished April asked to be excused and dashed out of the room.

"Is she all right?" Queen Ariana asked, concerned.

"I think so, Mom. She's just not used to any of this yet," Violet replied.

"What's she like?" Cass queried.

Violet kicked him under the table. If it had been anyone else she would have broken their leg, but since her brother was a saiyan also it felt normal to him.

"What? I'm just curious," he exclaimed indignantly.

She simply glared at him without answering. A moment later she said, "Cass, are you almost finished?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Come on—I want to talk to you."

Cass' left eyebrow shot up, but he did not protest. As soon as he had finished the last of his eggs he put his napkin down and stood. "See you later, Mom, Dad."

"All right, son," his father replied.

Violet left the table without saying a word of farewell and immediately headed for the library. Cass followed her out, and a moment later they were seated in two of the armchairs in one corner of the library. "Look, Cass, don't bother April, all right?"

"Who said I was going to 'bother' her, as you so delicately put it?" he replied defensively.

"Cass, you're my brother, and I know you pretty well. April's been through a lot in the last few weeks, and I don't want you to make her feel uncomfortable in any way. No 'pursuing' her, okay?"

"Oh, all right. What makes you so touchy, anyway? You're not usually like this, Violet."

She sighed. "Well, April had to leave everything behind…including her boyfriend. I can identify with her, so I don't want you making things worse."

Cass frowned. "What? You can identify with her? How so?"

Violet told him about having to leave the other saiyans—something that to this point she had only told Aaron and April.

"Oh," he said finally after she had finished. "I didn't realize that you'd have to make them all think you were dead to get out of going to the Cell Games. So Mom and Dad are still adamant about you not telling them who you really are?"

"Cass, they don't even know I still saw them, okay?"

"Whoa…you mean you _didn't_ tell them."

His sister shook her head.

"Wow…I thought you had. Sheesh, Vi, you've gone through a lot lately, too. No wonder you've been acting weird."

"Hey, bro, be nice," she told him with a lopsided grin.

"What's this about Cass being nice?" a new voice entered the conversation with a teasing comment.

Brother and sister glanced up to see Garion walk into the room. "Garion! When did you get here?" Violet exclaimed.

"About fifteen minutes ago. Surprised to see me?"

"Well, duh. We were told you wouldn't be coming until this evening, you turkey."

"Oh, so I'm a turkey now, am I?"

"Yes, you are, you turkey."

He laughed. "Well, it's nice to see you too, Violet."

"Hey, don't I get a greeting, too?" Cass asked, breaking into their banter.

"Of course," Garion told him, walking over to where he sat and giving him a firm handshake. "How have you two been?"

There was an almost unnoticeable pause before Cass replied, "We're pretty good. How about yourself?"

Garion did, however, notice the pause, but refrained from saying anything aloud. "I'm doing fairly well. By the way, Cass, Tyria came with me, so…"

"She's here? Where?"

"Hey, Cass," the Alendran princess greeted him, moving out from her concealed position in the shadows next to a bookcase.

"Tyria, it's not fair for you to hide using your Jedi stuff, you know," Cass complained with a mock pout.

"Oh? And it's suddenly fair for you to use your saiyan stuff?" she retorted with an indignant expression.

Cass stared at her dumbly for a moment, but then began to laugh. Tyria laughed right along with him, and soon both Garion and Violet had joined in.

A little while later, after they had talked for a few minutes, Garion asked Violet, "Has April arrived yet?"

"Yes. We got here last night around nine o'clock. We've already had breakfast, and once she had finished she went back up to her bedroom. You two can meet her at lunch, all right?"

"Sure," they replied in unison.

__

How's she doing? Garion thought to Violet once Cass and Tyria had started talking together again.

__

She's trying, but it's not going too well, I don't think. She feels so out of place. I'm worried about her—I don't know if it was good for her to have lived away from here almost all of her life.

That bad, eh?

Yes.

Suddenly Garion sensed a wall in Violet's mind, and decided that it would be best for them to talk aloud about other things from then on. He switched the topic to that of preparing for the war, and was relieved when he felt the walled subject being pushed to the back of her mind. _The wall doesn't concern April, so I wonder what it is that's bothering her so badly,_ he speculated silently, careful to conceal his thought from the princess.

* * *

Meanwhile, April had returned to her rooms. Upon entering her temporary bedroom she spotted Vega sitting calmly on the newly made bed. "So, where did you go exploring?" she asked the cat.

"Oh, just around. Right before I came back in here I spotted more people arriving who look not too much older than you are."

"More? I wonder who they are…" April thought aloud.

"So, how was breakfast?"

"The food here isn't bad, but I feel so out of place sitting at the table with Violet and her family. The fact that they're all royalty doesn't help matters, either."

"You're royalty too, you know."

"I know that in my head, Vega, but I don't _feel_ royal. I don't know…this is all so new to me," she said with a heavy sigh as she collapsed onto the bed. Vega silently trotted over to the young woman's side and curled up next to her as April began to cry into her pillow.

"April? Are you in there?" Violet's voice sounded through the door.

"Vega—will you go talk to her? I need a break," she said, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"Sure," the cat replied, standing up. She jumped off the bed and trotted over to the door, which she opened only wide enough so she could get out.

"What is it, Vega?" Violet asked with a frown, surprised to be greeted by the cat.

Vega hesitated for a moment before replying, seeing a young man in his twenties standing beside the princess. "April needs some down-time," she said finally.

"Oh, all right. Will you remind her that lunch is in three hours and that her parents are arriving right afterward?"

"Yes. Does she need to dress up?"

"I think so—it would be better if she would, at least."

"I'll tell her, then," the cat said before going back into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"That bad, eh?" Garion spoke up after Vega left.

"Yes," Violet said with a sigh.

The prince put a comforting arm around his friend. "She's young—she'll be okay," he reassured her.

Violet nodded. "I know. I just wish I could make this easier for her, that's all."

He smiled at her. "I know you do. Come on—feel like going for a run?"

She laughed. "Yes—as long as it's not as disastrous as the last one."

"I think you and I both have come a long way since then in sensing new presences, don't you agree?"

"Yeah. Well, then, last one to the start of the trail is a rotten mynock!"

"You're on, Princess."

With a laugh the two dashed off for their rooms.

"Well, Vega, how do I look?" April asked after taking a final glance at her reflection.

"You look beautiful, as always—though from a cat's point of view I don't know how reliable that is," Vega replied.

"Well, you have pretty good taste, so I'll go with your opinion." April sighed heavily. "I don't know if I'm too hungry—I'm kind of nervous about meeting my real parents."

"April, just be yourself. They haven't seen you in fifteen years, and I'm sure they love you very much. So I doubt they'll care about how you act very much, since they'll be so happy just to see you again."

The princess glanced over at her cat with an astonished expression. "You know, I don't think I've ever thought of it that way before."

"Just keep that in mind when you meet them—I think it will help."

"Yeah." Smoothing a last wrinkle in her sleeveless gown, April took a deep breath and walked out the door. As she came down the stairwell the voice spoke again. _Heed Vega's advice, Princess—she's right, you know. And you have no reason to be nervous. In fact, your parents are as nervous as you are._

Who the heck are you and how do you know all of this? April demanded.

The voice chuckled. _Patience, Princess. You'll know soon._ It paused. You know, I hadn't expected you to be like this.

Like what?

It chuckled again. Like that.

Oh, she replied, abashed. She then sighed heavily and resigned herself to being left in the dark again—it was not as if she had been experiencing anything else lately. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it April slowly walked the rest of the way down the stairs.

When she arrived in the dining hall she was a bit unsettled to see a few people there she had not yet met. _Pretty high-up people, by the looks of them_, she thought worriedly.

Violet stood from where she was seated near the head of the table when she saw her friend come in. She then cleared her throat to gain the attention of all those seated around her. "I would like you all to meet Crown Princess April Winslow of Byrista," she formally introduced her as soon as everyone was listening.

All those assembled stood and bowed to her. _How am I going to get her attention?_ Violet wondered worriedly.

__

What? April replied, confused.

__

April? You can hear me? Violet exclaimed silently, startled at April's reply.

__

Yeah.

Weird—okay, come over and sit by me. I'll make introductions as soon as we're all seated again.

Okay. Quickly, yet somehow gracefully, April walked over to be seated next to Violet by a servant standing nearby.

__

April, I don't know how we managed to get this link, but we'll use it to our advantage. Now I'll be able to give you help without it being obvious.

Phew—that makes me feel better. Now please tell me who these people are!

Sure. "Princess April, I would like you to meet Crown Prince Garion Westland of Alendre," she said, indicating the young man sitting across the table from her. "And this is Princess Tyria Westland, his sister."

"How do you do," Tyria replied with a genuine smile. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Princess."

April winced slightly at the other girl's use of her title. "Um, if you don't mind, I'd like you to call me April, Princess Tyria."

"Of course." She grinned. "And I'm just Tyria, if you don't mind. Forget all the title stuff, okay?"

April smiled back. "Sure thing." She noticed that the Alendran princess looked only a year or so older than she was.

__

Tyria is seventeen and Garion is twenty-three.

Thanks.

"April, over there are their parents, King Kyte and Queen Carida. Next to Cass are Crown Prince Keiran Windward and his parents, King Dagan and Queen Ienne."

__

How old is Keiran?

About fourteen, I think.

Thanks again. You're right—this does_ help._

"So, April, what do you think of Yavinia so far?" Tyria asked as lunch was brought to each of them by the servants.

"To be honest with you, I haven't seen too much of it yet."

"Well, we'll have to fix that, won't we?" Cass put in with a twinkle in his eye.

April smiled. "Sounds good to me."

__

Well, what do you think? Violet asked Garion silently.

__

She's holding her own pretty well—and you two seem to be rather chatty all of a sudden, he told her.

__

What?

I can tell that you two have a mental link, although I have no idea how it came about.

Neither do I—it was rather unexpected.

That's what I figured.

The rest of the meal went by fairly uneventfully—though to April's pleasant surprise she found the other royal heirs to be rather open, friendly, and down-to-earth. Even though she liked Violet a lot—and now had this psychic link with her—she felt like she really connected with the princess of Alendre.

Once the meal was over and the servants came by to pick up their plates, the memory hit her—she was about to meet her real parents. _Oh, dear—this will be so weird._

April, it's okay—I'll be there with you, Violet's thought broke into her own.

__

Really? A wave of relief washed over her. _Thanks—I really appreciate it._

No problem. Come on—I'll take you to the western sitting room. We'll meet them in there.

Okay. Will it be just you, or will there be others too?

I think it'll be just my family and I, if that's all right.

That's fine with me. April frowned as a thought hit her. _Can you talk to Garion like this too?_

Violet looked at her with a startled expression. _Yeah—and he told me that he could tell that I could talk to you like this._

Yeah. As far as I can tell it seems like a faint buzzing in my ear. Anyway, let's go. I kind of want to get this over with.

You're pretty nervous, then.

Well, my heart's just about in my throat, so I guess that's a yes. April grinned over at the older princess.

Violet grinned back.

"Garion," Tyria whispered to her brother, "do you hear a buzzing noise?"

He glanced over at her in shock. "Can you hear that?"

She frowned at him. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Tyria, can you talk to anyone with your mind?" he asked as the realization hit him.

"Yeah—I can talk to Cass. Why?"

"Well, I think that buzzing noise is created when someone who can talk to someone with their mind is close enough to two people doing the same thing—they're kind of intercepting the conversation a little bit." He glanced at her again. "How long have you been able to talk to him like that?"

"I'm not sure…since the 175th anniversary, I think." _Cass—do you hear that buzzing noise?_ Tyria asked him silently.

__

Yeah—you hear it too?

Uh huh. She then proceeded to explain the whole thing to him.

Right at that moment Garion was talking to Violet about the buzzing too. _Wow—and it all hit us at about the same time. Interesting, eh?_ Violet commented.

__

Yes.

"Excuse us," Violet said to the rest of those at the table as she stood. _Let's go, April._

Once they were out of earshot Violet explained to April that all the buzzing she had just heard was they explaining the concept to each other. "And apparently Cass and Tyria have a 'connection' too."

"Okay." April suddenly felt the alien presence in her mind again, accompanied by a dry chuckle. I was wondering how long it would take you all to figure that out. This may be amusing.

Thanks.

Well, a different reply than a demand. I like that.

April snorted mentally at it. Unless you inform me of stuff every now and then, don't get used to it.

A fading guffaw answered her thought as the sense of the presence gradually left her mind.

A few minutes later they reached the sitting room. Violet's parents arrived not too long after the two princesses did. "Cass isn't coming because there's something he and Tyria wanted to talk about, so Garion is here instead," King Ryo explained when the two spotted the prince walk into the room.

__

I didn't realize you cared that much, Violet said as he sat down next to her.

__

Well, both Cass and Tyria asked me to do it, and I wanted to anyway, so here I am.

Would you two mind sharing your thoughts with me? This buzzing is driving me crazy! April exclaimed silently to Violet.

Garion closed his eyes for a moment and tentatively reached out for April's mind. He caught the last part of her sentence, "—_is driving me crazy_!"

__

Is this better? he asked her, still connected yet also directing the thought to Violet.

__

Yes, much better! How did you do it?

It's a Jedi technique, he explained.

That brought April up short. _You—you're a Jedi?_

Not much of one, I'm afraid. But I can do a few simple things. Garion, in keeping with his long-ago promise to not let Violet know just how powerful he was, decided to keep the fact a secret from April as well.

__

Wow—I've never met a real live Jedi before. I've only read about them.

Now you've met two—my sister is a Jedi as well.

Really? The Force must be strong in your family.

Garion chuckled. _Yeah. You a 'Star Wars' fan?_

You bet!

Good—then you know a little bit about us. Garion was about to say more when a doorman entering the room from the opposite entrance interrupted him. "The king and queen of Byrista are here, your Majesties."

"Please, send them in," King Ryo replied.

The doorman bowed smartly and exited the room.

__

Relax, April, Violet told her.

__

I'm trying!

The door opened once more. First a man in his early fifties entered. He was fairly tall, about six feet in height, and rather trim for a man his age. His light brown hair was only beginning to show signs of gray. He came in somewhat tentatively, as if he was as nervous as his daughter. A woman in her mid-forties walked in behind him a moment later. She had dark red hair that looked as if it used to be a much brighter shade, yet did not look any duller than it must have been. For a woman her age she looked rather fit. She also had very little gray in her hair, but what caught April's attention most were her eyes—they were the exact same color as her own.

"April?" her biological father said tentatively, as if he were tasting a morsel of food for the first time.

"Dad?" she replied, one tear in each eye. "Mom?" As she said the words a wave of emotion washed over her, and she suddenly found that though she had never met them before in her conscious life, she loved these two people very much. _I know they'll never take the place of my adoptive parents, but they _will_ take a place right next to them in my heart_, she thought, utterly unaware of the eloquence of her thought. With an abrupt impulse she stood and ran toward them, throwing her arms around both of them and they returning the embrace in the same fashion.

"Wow," Garion whispered to Violet. "April looks just like her mother, with a little bit of her father dashed in for good measure."

"Yeah—and April looks even more like Mara Jade Skywalker than her mother does," Violet commented.

"Why don't we leave? They need some time alone together."

"Good idea—and I'll drag my parents out too."

The four left, two to go change into running clothes and two to return to their other guests. April and her parents remained for about two or three hours, April telling them all about her life in Arist and her parents telling her all about Byrista and what they did there.

"April, you have no idea how happy your mother and I are to see you," King Geran replied with tears in his eyes as they finally stood to join the other royal families.

Queen Serena nodded her agreement, at this point unable to speak as she hugged her daughter tightly with tears running freely down her cheeks.

"I'm in the same boat, Dad—I thought that it would be so weird to see you both after living with my adoptive parents all of my life, but now it feels more natural than the wind in my hair."

He smiled at her. "I'm glad you feel that way, sweetie. But tell me—do you miss your adoptive parents?"

April nodded. "I'll always miss them, I think. But it helps to have you."

Her mother kissed her forehead. "I know that it sure helps to have you!"

The three gave each other another hug before leaving the room to head for the main sitting room on the north side of the palace. By this time the four royal heirs who had gone off on their own had returned and were seated together along with Prince Keiran in one area of the room. Everyone there stood and began clapping upon the Winslow family's arrival.

__

It went well, didn't it? Violet said silently to April with a smile.

__

It sure did, the crown princess of Byrista said, smiling back. Shortly thereafter the small chat of the room resumed and everyone stayed to talk long into the evening. They were so deep into their conversations that dinner had to be brought to them, and no one retired until late that night.


	13. Sorrow and Confusion

The next two days went by in a fantastic blur for the young princess. She was able to spend a lot of time with her parents, to their joy, so that she could get to know them and they could get to know her better. She was also able to spend time with the other royal "kids," even though all except Keiran were older that she was. However, though she did not understand it, Garion intimidated her somewhat. So she found much solace in her budding friendship with his sister. 

* * *

The next day, three days after April's arrival, Garion was in a dataroom going over the latest news reports from the New Republic's capital, Coruscant, when a knock sounded on the locked door. "Come in," he called out, hitting a key on a nearby pad to unlock it.

The door slid open soundlessly and April walked in. Garion turned to look at her, then frowned as he realized something. _She's not supposed to bother me, and she knows it, because some of this is highly sensitive information_, he said silently. But when he saw the meek, shy expression on the young princess' face, he let his face relax. _I don't want to hurt the poor girl by a mere look_. "What is it?" he prodded gently.

"Well, uh, your Highness—"

"April, remember, you're royalty too," he interjected kindly. "It isn't formal within itself, unless the situation warrants it." _Man, that was formal. Why on earth did I word it like that?_

"Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot. Um, I guess I'm still getting used to it. Uh, anyway, I've noticed that Violet has been really mopey ever since she came back from that trip yesterday, and she won't talk to me or anyone else about it." _Gosh, why does this guy intimidate me like he does? This is so weird…I rarely ever feel like this with other people…_

Garion frowned, knowing that she had never done anything like that before. _Something must really be bothering her for her to act like that, and it must be readily apparent for April to notice through her grief and all the excitement going on around here, what with her meeting her real parents and all. Sheesh, I feel like a total idiot for not noticing it earlier_. "Thanks for telling me, April. I'll go see if I can talk to her."

April nodded once, curtsied slightly, and left the room. _I'm going to have to ask her parents if they can retrain her in royal manners. She keeps treating me and everyone else except Violet and my sister like they were much higher in station than she is, even though that is definitely not the case_. Shrugging and pushing the matter out of his mind, he shut down the computers and headed up the winding staircase to the floor where they all were staying for the battle preparation period, since they had decided the day before to have the official headquarters in Yavinia for now. _I wonder how much longer we have before we have to leave for war_, he thought sadly. He recalled April's age and what she had just gone through, and shook his head. _She shouldn't have had to get involved._

Once he got there, he made his way through the ornate hallway to Violet's room and knocked softly on her door.

"Who is it?" the question came, a bit muffled.

"It's me, Garion," he answered.

There was a short pause. Garion opened his mouth to repeat himself when Violet called back, "Come in, then."

Garion touched the button on the right side to open the door. It revealed a large, ornately decorated room with an oak four-poster bed. Violet's characteristic violet-colored drapes, bed cover, and bed canopy were all in there. Even the flowers were violet-colored. The large picture windows on the back wall all had window seats and looked out at the west toward the sea, the water sparkling in the afternoon light.

But the room was a mess. Expensive clothes lay everywhere where they had been carelessly dropped. The drapes hung crookedly on the windows, as if someone had tossed them around. Two trays of untouched food sat on the oak armoire by the unmade bed. Its comforter and sheets lay haphazardly on it, as if someone had tossed and turned for hours. And Violet herself was a mess as well, at least what Garion could see of her. She lay on her side facing the west wall, blond hair tangled and clothes wrinkled, her back to him.

Garion frowned. _Why haven't the servants been here to take care of her room?_ he wondered silently. _This is very uncharacteristic of them…_ he trailed off as he realized something. _Has she not let anyone in besides April and me? This is odd_…

He walked over toward her and sat down at the end of the bed next to her. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

Violet did not reply for a moment. An occasional hiccup, accompanied by a sniffle, broke the silence. "Everything," she whispered, almost too quietly for him to hear.

He knew better than to prod her, so he held his tongue and waited for her to continue, if she felt like it.

Violet slowly, almost lethargically, sat up, her unkempt hair falling elegantly around her shoulders. Almost as slowly she stood up and walked over to one of the windows, sat down, and gazed out at the sea.

Garion could see the side of her face now. Little lines traced their way down her cheek where tears had run through her makeup.

When she sat down, she pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, still not looking at Garion. After a moment she took a deep breath and began to speak. "It all began about five years ago, when I met this guy named Goku." She paused and turned to look at him. "Wait a minute. You've probably heard about that story. My parents did not put it in a good light, did they?"

Garion shook his head.

She shrugged carelessly. "Oh, well. Anyway, it was about three years ago that his brother came to Earth, and he first tried to persuade Goku to return with him to continue pillaging planets. Goku, being the good guy that he is, refused. Raditz—his brother—saw Gohan—Goku's son—and kidnapped him. Goku, along with a Namek, Piccolo, pursued him and later fought him. Both Goku and his brother died during the battle.

"However, the war had not been won yet. Raditz had managed to alert other saiyans—two, to be exact—to the existence of the dragonballs."

"Uh, Violet…what on earth are dragonballs?" Garion interrupted, confused.

She proceeded to explain them to him.

"Okay," he said after she had finished, still slightly puzzled.

Violet continued her story as if there had been no interruption. "Piccolo decided to train Gohan in the time they had before the two saiyans arrived. Even though he was just a kid, he had displayed extraordinary powers during the battle. That's where I found them after I'd arrived on the mainland for a visit. I found out what had happened and told them I would find out when exactly they would arrived using our technology.

"I informed them later of the date they would reach the earth and hoped to be there with them. However, when that day came I found myself forced to remain in Yavinia, as my parents had gone out on a trip."

"I remember that—you seemed rather perturbed about the whole situation, as I recall."

"I was very annoyed, but I couldn't exactly tell my parents why. So I hooked up my satellite observer's data feed into my dataroom and watched the battle from there. That was the first time I saw…him."

"Who?" Garion asked with a quizzical glance.

"Vegeta—one of the two saiyans. Anyway, there was a pitched battle, in which four of the Earth fighters and one of the saiyans were killed. Goku and Vegeta fought to the point that each barely escaped with their lives.

"A year later—last year, in fact—the whole Namek expedition began. Since the dragonballs on earth no longer existed, they had to go to that planet in order to use their set of dragonballs. It would take me way too long to explain," Violet told him when he opened his mouth to ask a question.

He nodded for her to continue.

"I couldn't go with them, of course, so I stayed here and tried to keep myself busy in their absence. When they returned, Goku was not with them—but apparently he was not dead, either. They never really got a chance to explain all that to me, though. Vegeta was with them, however. Apparently he had sided with them in the battle against Frieza—a foe even worse than Vegeta had been. He was the one who forced Goku into becoming a super saiyan, which didn't surprise me.

"So, during the next eight months I proceeded to help Gohan, Piccolo, and Vegeta in their training, since I needed to work on my own skills as well. Vegeta proved to be a worthy opponent of me, as long as I wasn't in my super saiyan stage. He kept pressing me to get him to achieve that level, but I refused. Eventually I got to know him as a person rather than just as an opponent."

Violet paused at this point, since tears were welling up in her eyes once again.

Garion asked the question whose answer he most feared. "Did you fall in love with him?"

She glanced over at him, startled. When she failed to see any malice in his gaze, she said, "Yes." That was all she could get out before the tears cascaded down her cheeks.

The prince placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting way before he inquired, "Does he love you back?"

Wordlessly she nodded.

__

There go my chances, then, he thought. _So…if they're in love, why does she feel so much grief?_ Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Why all the tears, then?"

"My parents would never allow me to marry him. They've been set dead against my involvement with his kind from the start, and if they knew I wanted to marry one…oh, I don't know what they would do." With that said, the sorrow-filled princess buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

Unconsciously Garion drew her close and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against his chest and cried. He simply held her as he waited for the storm to pass.

A few minutes later it finally subsided. "I'm sorry, Violet," he said with deep sincerity, even though he knew that if she was allowed to marry that man, she would be lost to him forever.

She lifted her head to look up at him, and in his eyes she saw something that bothered her. _He loves me, doesn't he? Then why is he being so nice when I tell him I love another? Does he really care about me _that_ much? Wow…_ "Thanks, Garion. That means a lot to me, really."

He wiped one of her tears away. "That trip you came back from yesterday—you went to see him, didn't you?"

"Yes—I had to see him one last time."

"Did you know he loved you before or after this trip?"

The princess glanced up at him with one eyebrow raised. "After, but…what brought that question on?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Garion. Well, when he told me that he loved me, that was bad enough. But when I told him that it wouldn't work between us, well, that was the hardest thing I've ever done."

Garion was startled. "You've already told him that it won't work?"

"Yes. I thought it would be better that way—I need to devote everything I've got to the war ahead of us, and I know what my parents would say if I told them about him now. Since they have to concentrate on the war, I know I can't take away any of their time—or mine—in trying to make them see reason. It would be a total waste of my energy as well as theirs. Maybe if Gitran had never been born, things would be different…but that kind of wishful thinking does me no good. What's done is done.

"I must admit it's nice to have that off my shoulders, though. If you'll excuse me, Garion," she said, her tone suddenly cool, "I need to wash up and allow the servants to tend to my room."

"Of course, Princess," he replied, moving away from her and getting off the bed. "I have things to attend to as well." He left without another word.

A thought hit Violet. _Did he leave what he was doing just to come see me? I don't deserve that kind of treatment—not with how I've been behaving over the last twenty-four hours, at least._ She sighed and rose from the bed, walking over toward her armoire. She decided against a dress immediately and chose a light blue blouse and khaki pants instead. Once she had changed she allowed the maid inside, who began attending to her bed right away.

Violet walked into her expansive bathroom and washed all traces of her long cry away, then reapplied her makeup, fixed up her hair, and left the suite. She asked a servant to bring a car around for her, which then took her to the shipyards. _For some reason I need to get as far away from Garion as possible._

* * *

Meanwhile, April decided to find out more about the fleet and its components, feeling rather out of place wandering aimlessly around the palace grounds after talking to Garion about Violet. She would have gone to find Tyria but the older princess was out with her father, Cass, and his father looking at the shipyards. "Pardon me," she said politely to the first servant she came across. He bowed respectfully when he realized she was addressing him. "Can you tell me where the head of the fleet is?"

The groundskeeper frowned slightly. "I'm sorry, I don't understand your question, your Highness."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized hastily.

"You don't need to apologize, your Highness."

April winced. "Must you tack that form of address on the end of every sentence you speak?"

"You don't like it, Princess? Or is it just uncomfortable?"

"Sort of, yes. I guess I'm just not used to it yet."

Her statement, along with its dejected tone, made the man aware of just how much the young princess of Byrista had gone through in coming there. "If you would like to learn more about the workings of the fleet and its individual ships, I think the library in the palace would have some books about it."

"There's a library here?" April asked as her eyes lit up.

"Of course, Princess! I can escort you there, if you'd like."

"Don't you have work to do here that I am keeping you from even now, though?" she asked with a worried note in her voice.

"Princess, I can tell you are fairly new to all of this," he told her frankly.

"Is it that obvious?"

"I think you _did_ say something to that effect a moment ago, Princess."

She chuckled shyly. "I guess I did at that, didn't I?"

"Would it be all right if I told you some things on the way?"

"Please do!" she replied fervently.

He chuckled.

April hesitated. "But I need your name first…I'd feel odd just calling you 'servant' or something like that."

"It's Devon, Princess."

"I think I like being called 'Princess' better than I do being called 'your Highness,' to be honest with you, Devon. Maybe I'll get used to it in time, but for now, that will do."

"Do you mind me being blunt at all, Princess?"

"Not a bit. I might eventually, but for now, I need to learn a lot of stuff in a short amount of time, and it's not going to happen if people step lightly around issues just to avoid hurting my feelings."

As they began walking Devon decided that he liked this young red-haired Byristan princess. She had a spark of innocence to her that was refreshing, yet she carried a burden of sorrow on her young shoulders. "The first thing you should know is that _all_ the servants, whether they are at your palace over in Byrista or here in Reilar, are here to serve you no matter what their original task may be. We help you out and then, once we are finished, return to whatever we had been working on earlier.

"Secondly, people are going to bow to you and call you 'your Highness' or 'Princess' whether you like it or not, since that is your rank. Someday you will be called 'your Majesty' when you take your place as Queen of Byrista."

"I'm glad that's a ways off. It's taking me long enough to get used to just being a princess! I don't know the first thing about being the ruler of a palace, let alone a whole country."

"Don't worry about it. Your parents will be around for a little while after you become queen."

"Huh?" April's expression was clearly bewildered.

"Oh—you're not aware of the rules of succession here on the Islands, are you, Princess?"

She shook her head, still confused.

"The crown prince or princess does not have to wait until their parents die for them to rule—he or she is crowned the December after he or she is married."

"Wait a sec—so…let's say that the king died before the next in line was married. Would he or she then receive the crown?"

"No, Princess. The queen would rule until the next in line was married. The only way a crown prince or princess would receive the crown before he or she was married would be if both of his or her parents died beforehand."

"Okay…I think I get it. So it's not the firstborn son who gets the crown? It's simply the firstborn child?"

"Yes, your Highness."

April was so enthralled by the method of succession in the Islands that she did not notice the use of "your Highness" rather than her preferred "Princess." "I like that idea. So Violet is going to become queen someday."

"Yes."

"And whoever she marries will become king."

Devon nodded, wondering where April was going with this.

"Does the one who was crown prince or princess have more power than the one who married into the title of king or queen? Or is the king simply more powerful?"

"Neither, Princess. The king and queen hold equal power. Neither one is more powerful than the other."

"The Islands' way of succession is so much more sensible than the way the rest of the world uses. I wonder why someone didn't come up with this earlier?"

"I'm sure other people have, Princess. But in the world you're used to men are believed to be better—for lack of a better word—than women. Here, that's not the case. Everyone's treated equally: there is no discrimination based on gender."

"I'm going to like this place, I think." April fell silent when suddenly a familiar face floated up from where she had pushed it into the back of her mind.

"Is something the matter, Princess?" Devon asked, concerned. "Are you all right?"

She snapped out of her daze with a slight start. "Yes… I'm fine, thanks. Just reminiscing, that's all."

They had entered the building by this time, thus Devon did not have a chance to question the princess further on the subject since she pestered him with questions about the different ornaments and tapestries on the way to the library. They arrived there ten minutes later. "Thank you, Devon," she told him.

"It was my pleasure, Princess." He bowed and left the room.

__

Wow, April thought in awe as her eyes took in the large room, the servant completely forgotten. The ceiling of the library sat twenty feet above her, and the walls that extended up to it were completely covered in books. _I've never seen this many books in one room in my entire life! I wouldn't be able to read this many books in a lifetime! I hope Byrista's royal library is this good._ As if in a trance she walked about the room, content to simply gaze at all of the novels and books of history and every other subject imaginable. A moment later she spotted a thin book called _The Farlae Codex_. Next to it was a thick book filled with handwritten notes called _The Farlae Codex: Making Sense of the Prophecies._

"Prophecies?" April wondered aloud. Her curiosity aroused, she took the _Codex _off the shelf and began leafing through its pages. Random phrases leapt out at her. "Unless the Four build light to combat the Darkness, the galaxy will fall." "The Young Warrior will arise to the throne with the Jedi Child at his side." The statement that startled her the most was "A Sailor called Nova will have a guardian called the Protector and a cat as a companion." 

"So that's what Violet was talking about when she told me that it had been foretold. These are really prophecies… how strange… Hm, I bet that this one isn't the only one that's come true." April frowned when she spotted an asterisk at the end of the sentence. Coming across a handwritten notation at the bottom of the page, she read "Reference in _Making Sense of the Prophecies_," along with the page number of the reference.

She took the other book down and leafed through it until she came to the mentioned page. Reaching it, she read, "This has come true in the case of the lost Winslow princess April. This revelation has brought much joy to her parents, since its fulfillment means she is coming home soon."

"So that's how they knew," April thought aloud with a sense of awe.

"That's how they knew what?" a voice intruded on her not-so quiet thoughts.

The young princess turned toward the source of the voice and spotted Garion standing in the doorway. She hesitated, then forced herself to overcome the odd discomfort she felt every time she was near the man. "I was reading about the prophecy of my becoming a Sailor and all that came with it."

"You mean no one has told you about the prophecies?" the Alendran crown prince asked her incredulously.

April shook her head. "I had no idea they existed. I mean, Violet hinted at their existence when she told me that my being a Sailor had been foretold in legend, but I had no idea what she meant at the time." She frowned as a thought came to her. "How did this Codex thingy come about, anyway?"

Garion walked into the library and sat down near where she was standing in an overstuffed chair. "Over two hundred years ago, in the year 67—"

"Huh?" she interrupted, sitting down. "What do you mean, 'year 67'?"

He glanced over at her quizzically. "How much do you know of our history, April?"

"Very little, I'm afraid. All I know is that what the rest of the world calls "Star Wars" really happened, and that some admiral has made some big force and is threatening the New Republic with it, and that we have to help."

Both of his eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding—that's it?"

"That's it."

"We've sorely neglected you in your education, then, April. Back to your original question, though—as I'm sure I've utterly confused you by my earlier statement—what we go by in years holds the Battle of Endor as year zero, sort of. So the year 67 means that it was 67 years after the Battle of Endor, or AE for short."

"In other words, it's how long the New Republic's been around…or, rather, how long the Empire has been pretty much defeated for."

"Right." Garion stood, walked over to one of the shelves, and selected a book. Returning to his chair, he blew on it once to get rid of the thin coat of dust, then handed it over to April. "This is a concise history of our four countries, from the year 32, when Luke, Mara, and the others arrived in-system, until about ten years ago or so. For the more recent history, you can probably find a few ebooks on it—you know, books found entirely on datapads."

"Uh…what do you mean by 'arrived in-system'? What—why—did they come here?"

Garion chuckled. "April, I think that you're going to need more than an old book to teach you everything there is to know about the history of these islands. Since you'll be queen someday, you need to know these things. Why don't we set aside some time each day to study history?"

"I think it's a great idea," she replied with a grateful smile. "Since I'm not totally used to being a princess yet, the idea of becoming queen is a completely different ball park. Can we study the war preparations too? I want to know about all the ships and everything that's being done to prepare for this war—and I want to know all the latest reports about Gitran, too."

"Whoa, little lady—one thing at a time! Why don't we get started on history right now, since I've finished up the intelligence report overviews, and after we've worked on that for a while get into the current events then?"

"Sounds good to me."

For the next two hours Garion taught the eager crown princess by starting at the beginning of their history and went on from there. He told her about the Leaving, about how Luke and Mara and many other Jedi had felt a mysterious pull of the Force to leave everything they knew and to travel into the Unknown Regions. For fifteen standard months they traveled the stars, one hundred families, all human and either Jedi or non-Jedi, in the Star Destroyer _Morning Star_. Then, one day, they arrived in the solar system, cloaked as usual, and discovered Earth.

"But didn't we on Earth see them come in? I mean, they can't have the cloaking shield on while in hyperspace, can they?"

Garion shook his head. "I think I'd better add astronavigation to our curriculum, April. Don't you remember that you have to reenter realspace out of any gravity mass shadows projected by large bodies of matter? Back then Earth's technology was primitive, and no satellites were in orbit that could have spotted them way out by Pluto."

"Oh," she replied quietly, her face downcast.

The older prince placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "April, I know you've been through a lot in the past few weeks, and I also know that there's no way I can know how bad it is for you. I realize that you don't know much about us, just like we actually don't know all that much about you. I freely admit you are as much a mystery to us as we are to you. The only things we know about you have been prophesied, and those are few. I guess what I'm trying to say is we are trying to understand your specific needs during this time, and we're not always right." Garion shook his head. "Sometimes I try to say certain things, but the words just don't come out quite right."

"It's all right, Garion—the words might have been odd, but your meaning came across clearly." When she looked up at him he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

She sniffed. "I miss Daran—my boyfriend. I miss my friends and family. I hate the fact that I had to be uprooted from all I knew and transplanted into this alien place. Even though it's on Earth, it feels like Mars to me."

"Mars doesn't feel like this," he replied before he could stop himself.

"You've been there?" she queried, startled, but glad for the change of subject. _Remembering home always hurts so badly._

"Yeah," he said with a shrug. "We started a mining colony there a while back. Don't worry, we used camouflage cloaking devices there so they can't see us."

"So that's how you get the resources you need for the ships."

He nodded. "From Mars and from the asteroid belt. I think Yavinia started a colony on Pluto, too, when we ran out of certain transparisteel and durasteel ingredients a few years back."

"Wow—you sure have quite the operation going here."

"_We_ have quite the operation going here," he repeated, stressing the _we_. Clearing his throat, Garion added, "We should be getting back to history—we only have a little over an hour until dinner."

"Right." Thus April's education continued. Garion picked up where he left off, explaining that the group remained in-system because all of a sudden everything went wrong so that they could not leave the system even if they had wanted to…but they did not want to leave, since the compulsion to travel had suddenly left all of them. The group landed on some untamed islands they found in the Pacific and assessed the damages. The natives, who had seen them arrive, asked them to rule over them since, at first, they thought they were some sort of superior beings coming to them from the gods in the sky.

"Even after Luke and the others explained to them that they were not celestial messengers, their obvious wisdom made the natives unwilling to back down from their offer. Thus Yavinia was formed. Then, a few years later, your ancestor, Kento Winslow, the head of one of the more prominent families that had come on the Journey, and Kalan Westland, my ancestor, and a Jedi Knight, talked to Luke about carving Yavinia up into three smaller countries—the largest retaining the name Yavinia, and the other two to be called Byrista and Alendre respectively."

Garion continued, telling her of the decision made a few years later when the issue of passing the crown from current ruler to heir came up. 

"That was the thing about passing it on after the first born had married and the ceremony being on the first of December, right?" April interrupted.

"How do you know that?"

"One of the groundskeepers here was kind enough to tell me about it as he escorted me here, since I didn't know where the library was."

"They're all like that, April—all of the people who work here are good, solid, loyal citizens of Yavinia, and they just plain like us royal people for some reason or another," he said, ending his statement with a wink.

She grinned at him. "So…where were we?"

After the succession issue was resolved, things ran normally as the years went by. Then the year 67 came along. Jedi trainees and Knights suddenly had a barrage of visions whenever they went into meditative trances. Once they came out of the trance, however, all they could remember was that they had some sort of vision—but could not really remember what was in it—and one statement. This continued on for about three and a half years, until autumn of the year 70, and they stopped as suddenly as they had come. 

"All of the statements had been written down, of course, and they comprise that thin book you're holding, April."

She glanced down at _The Farlae Codex_. "These are all separate prophecies?"

Garion nodded.

"How…how do we know if they've been fulfilled or not? And those weird names…how do we know who they're talking about?"

"Usually we don't. It seems that they only make sense when they're supposed to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, officially, we're not exactly sure. My personal opinion is that the light and dark sides of the Force aren't just parts of a whole energy field binding us together, but they are two separate -- yet similar -- entities with some level of awareness. The light side of the Force guides us, just as the dark side is guiding Gitran. I think he might have his own set of prophecies, given to him by the dark side."

April's eyes were wide open. "Whoa…if that's true…wow. So, a person can be guided by either side of the Force even if he/she is not a Jedi?"

"Yes."

She glanced at a nearby clock. "Wow…I can't believe how much time has passed! We've been at this for a long time… hey, can I take this book, and its counterpart?" she asked, indicating the _Codex_.

"Sure—if you can make any more sense out of it, so much the better." He stood and turned toward the door. "I'll see you at dinner, then?"

"Of course. And we'll do this again tomorrow, right? Except maybe we'll talk more about Gitran and astronavigation than history."

"Sure," he replied with a smile, then left the room.

April smiled as she shook her head at herself. _I don't know why I felt intimidated by him earlier—though he's about the same age as Violet (which makes him about seven or eight years older than I am) he's not that bad of a guy._ _If my brother hadn't died, I hope he would have been just like Garion. _Still smiling, she looked down at the book again and resumed her reading, her attention diverted enough that she missed the gentle bell-like sound chiming in the back of her mind at her realization.


	14. Settling into a Curveball

            _There is way too much stuff for me to learn!_ April exclaimed to herself one afternoon a few days later as she pored over a book on astronavigation.  _How on earth am I going to be a good princess—and eventually a queen—if I don't know anything?_

            Exasperated, she set the astronavigation book aside and spotted _The Farlae Codex_ underneath it.  "Well, there can't be any harm in reading that—and if anyone mentions any of the prophecies, at least that will be something I'll be familiar with."  April picked up the book and stood up from her chair at her desk.  _I might as well be comfortable while I read,_ she shrugged as she walked over to the couch in her room.

            Sitting down, she propped herself up against a feather pillow and settled down to read.  Five minutes later she was ready to throw the book down in exasperation.  "None of this makes any sense!" she exclaimed aloud in frustration.  As she moved to close it a phrase caught her eye.  "When the last Winslow appears, another will soon follow."  She frowned.  "Who is the last Winslow?  Is that me?  Or is it someone to follow me?"

            _You are the last Winslow._

            "You again?" April asked aloud, startled by the alien voice intruding into her thoughts.  But there was no answer.  _What, you want me to speak to you like this?_

            _It _is_ easier, yes.  You _are_ the last Winslow, and this time you cannot say I tell you nothing.  _There was a distinct note of defense in the voice's tone.

            Unbidden, laughter bubbled out of the young princess.  _You certainly have a unique personality…_ she trailed off, unsure of what to call it.

            _Why not "the Voice"?  It is how you've been thinking of me all along, is it not?_

            _Yes, but—_April broke off her thought as the Voice's presence… vanished.  Frowning with a shake of her head, the young woman decided to write down a note of the incident.  Then a thought hit her with such force she was unable to dismiss it out of hand.  _If I am the last Winslow, who is it who will follow me?  Does that mean another Winslow will appear, or what?  Is this talking about my future children, or what?  _She shook her head vigorously. _ This is so confusing…_

            A knock on her door jerked her out of her thoughts.  "April?  Are you in there?" Tyria's voice sounded through the door.

            "Yeah.  Come on in," she called back after a brief pause.

            The door slid open with a faint hiss to allow Tyria access into the chamber.  Vega darted in right behind her.  "Thanks," the cat said.  "For some reason she couldn't hear me today."

            "Vega—you wanted in?  I'm sorry!  I must not have heard you because I was looking at this confusing thing," April said, holding up the Codex.

            "Why are you looking at that?" Tyria asked.

            "Because I wanted to take a break from astronavigation."

            Tyria stared at the younger princess, an incredulous expression on her face.  "You're looking at the Codex as a _break_?  Sheesh, that's more complicated than astronavigation is!"

            "You're telling me." April rolled her eyes.  "I kind of just figured that out here.  Hey, are you good with astronavigation?  'Cause I could sure use some help here."

            "No problem—I just finished my last course on it a few months ago."  For the next few minutes the two princesses worked head-to-head at April's desk, poring over the rather large textbook.

            "Hey, this actually makes sense now!  So I don't divide those numbers together and then use the result to multiply that other number—I multiply and then add and then find the square root.  Why didn't I think of that before?"

            Tyria laughed.  "Maybe because you were attacking it from the wrong angle."

            "Right," April said with a grin.  "A _very_ wrong angle."

            The Alendran princess blinked suddenly.  "Hey, I just remembered what I came up here for in the first place… feel like trying out an X-wing simulator?"

            April looked at her, eyes wide.  "Oh, could I, please?  That would be so cool!"

            "Well, then, what are you waiting for?"

            "Let's go!" the heir of Byrista exclaimed happily, standing up so quickly that she knocked her notebook to the floor.  Taking no heed of the mishap, she threw on a pair of shoes and was out the door faster than Tyria had thought possible.

            "Wait for me!" she shouted out the doorway after her.

            After taking a tram to the military base two miles away from the palace itself, Tyria ushered April past all of the checkpoints into the simulator room.  "Here you are—pick any one you'd like.  They're all prepped and ready to go, since Stealth Squadron finished their session about twenty minutes ago."

            "Cool!" April said as she dashed into one of the simulator chairs.  As soon as she was in Tyria helped her get strapped in the crash webbing and said, "Good luck.  And relax—I know this is your very first time in one of these so it'll take some getting used to."

            "Sure," she replied, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

            Tyria smiled and moved out of the way so the side hatch could close.  Suddenly it was as if April had been transported to a completely different place.  The control board in front of her lit up displaying its intricate sets of multi-colored buttons.  The control stick sat directly in front of her, somewhat between her legs.  A pedal sat near each foot.

            Then the viewscreens situated around her just like they would be in a real X-wing flashed on, showing the inside of a snubfighter bay.  Her X-wing was the only one in the bay—the rest of it was completely empty.  _Leaves me nothing to run into_, April thought to herself wryly, recalling from the books that the simulators were so accurate if you scraped even for a millisecond along anything, you would be able to see and feel it—and even hear it if you were not in vacuum.

            April was then startled by a mechanical voice sounding dimly down near her left hand.  Startled, she found that a helmet with attached headset sat there.  Gingerly the princess put them on her head and fumbled for a moment with the strap.  As she did this she listened to the voice's words.  "…mission is a simple one: all you are to do is practice and get familiar with the controls—by practicing taking off, landing, and maneuvering in a smaller space."  The voice then repeated the information.

            Soon, however, it was cut off.  "Sorry about that there," Violet's voice sounded in her headset.

            "Violet!  I didn't realize you'd be here," April told her, startled.

            "Yeah—I'm here to help you out.  I'm in the X-wing behind you—if you look up at your radar screen on the top right corner of your cockpit, you'll see the monitor that we've recently installed in every snubfighter.  It tells the pilot where all the ships in the area are, designating them with blips.  The green blips are members of your fleet, blue are friendlies, and red are enemies."

            Sure enough, a green blip was located directly behind April's X-wing.

            "The X-wing shape in the center is your X-wing—it tells you the status of the fighter.  The blue outline is—"

            "It's my shield status," April interrupted.

            Violet frowned.  "How did you know that?"

            "This simulator is a lot like the X-wing computer game I played back home—it's just a little bit more complicated," she replied with a chuckle.

            "Well, good—at least you know the basics and won't be completely lost.  Now I'm going to hover past you—I've already prepped my X-wing for takeoff."

            "Okay—and what I need to do now is turn on my engines and wait for them to show green, right?"

            "You got it.  The activation switches for all four engines are on the upper-left hand side of the switchboard.  There's a light next to each one—it'll show yellow if something needs to be looked at and red if they're damaged or simply won't work.  The repulsorlifts are activated by the row of orange buttons near the center of the board, up at the top.  Your lasers—but you shouldn't need them yet—are turned on by the green button at the bottom center of the board, and you switch to missiles with the yellow button.  The purple button turns your ion cannons on.  To fire any of them you use the trigger near the top of the control stick.  Ready?"

            "As ready as I'll ever be," April replied.

            "Okay—just for fun, I'll be Blue One and you'll be Blue Two.  Got that?"

            "Yep," she said, a hint of her excitement leaking into her voice.

            "Here I come," Violet told her as she just began to be in sight through April's starboard viewscreen.  As April switched on her four engines her mind was less than half on her job as she stared at the X-wing hovering slowly past her.  _It seems so real…_

            "Yeah," Violet replied to her soundless thought.  "I know a lot of people who say that they can hardly tell the difference between the two once they're actually in the cockpit."

            "Really?"

            "Uh huh.  Even I can hardly tell the difference."

            "That makes two of us."

            Violet laughed.  "How do your engines look?"

            April glanced down at her board.  "All green."

            "Okay—then lift off."

            With a deep breath she activated her repulsorlifts.  The sudden feeling of lift startled her more than anything else could have done at that moment.  Just then an odd calm came over her.  _Relax, Princess,_ the dry voice echoed in her mind.

            April looked down at the now-familiar controls.  She leveled her X-wing out at about four meters of altitude, and leveled up the throttle just slightly so that she had enough thrust to leave the bay.  

            The next few minutes went by in a carefully mediated blur.  Up, down, around, through, into valleys, over hills, teasing the surface by mere meters before rocketing skyward again.

            _I feel so… not myself_, the part of April's mind not taken over by cold, calculated precision mused.  _Do I have a new… self…?_

            _No.  This is a mixed product of your heritage and my presence,_ the Voice interjected.

            _My heritage?_

            _You are last in a long line of talented pilots, commanders, leaders, among other titles.  It is not merely personality that produces this.  Genetics leads to it as well.  One must be strong to be in such positions.  Besides, you are one of the few chosen to lead the free galaxy in the coming war._

_            Why me?_

_            The Voice paused.  __Why must you people always ask that question?_

_            It's a valid one, isn't it?_

_            I suppose so.  _

_            And you always answer with that comment 'cause you don't want to give us an answer, don't you._

_            The Voice was silent._

            _What, did I stun you that badly?  I'm not an idiot.  You should know that as well as anyone._

_            True._

            "Blue Two!  Come in, Blue Two!" Violet said, 

            "Yes, Blue One?"

            "What…who…how…that _is you in there, right, April?"_

            "Uh, of course…"

            "Where did you learn to fly like that?"

            "I…"  _How does one explain hearing voices in one's head?_  "I don't know."

            "Are you sure?  Because I could have sworn that was Commander Turner in that cockpit."

            "Who?"

            "The leader of our elite X-wing squad, Stealth."

            "I was flying that well?"

            Violet coughed.  "You can say that again."

            April landed her simulated vehicle back in the bay and waited for the "hatch" door to open before exiting the simulator.  She was greeted by her friend, who was still wide-eyed.  "I have never seen _anything_ like that before.  Not from someone's first time in a sim."

            "Oh. Um…okay."

            "Okay?!  That's all you have to-- all right.  Go study astronavigation and history for the rest of today, or something, and get a lot of rest tonight.  I'm going to see if I can get you into a real X-wing tomorrow.  That will prove today's fluke either just that or…something I can't even begin to imagine."

            April just nodded dumbly.  _What the…_  She stumbled off in the general direction of the exit, mumbling to herself all the while.

            Violet began pacing and muttering to herself.  A moment later another voice sounded in her head.  _Are you all right?  You feel…distressed._

            _You can say that again, Garion._  She proceeded to explain the entire incident to him.

            _You're this upset over just that?_

            _Just?  _Just_?!  What about this fits that word in the slightest?_

_            Are you angry because she surpassed you, and so fast?_

            That brought the irate princess up short, but only to give her a chance to relight her fuse.  _What are you saying, Garion?  That I'm jealous of a whiny, homesick teenager who could care less about this war and everything it entails?  Someone who would abandon us to return to her old life in a heartbeat?_

_            Violet Aria _Wakefield___!  You're not the woman I thought you were._

            The words struck her like a slap to the face, and her sense of Garion's presence all but vanished.  Emptiness flooded her soul, and the crown princess of Yavinia fell to her knees and sobbed.  _Where did that come from…is this me…is this really me?_

* * *

            Garion dashed down the stairs and out the door, running toward his sense of April's presence.  _I have no idea what happened to her, or how it affected her.  Violet's not herself, and…_  A wave of cruel intent slashed its way across his senses.  _Something's out there…_

* * *

            The young redhead walked in a daze.  _I don't understand…_

            _Obstacles present themselves in life in order to provide ways to test one's maturity,_ the Voice murmured in the deep recesses of her mind.

            _Are you saying that this happened to me, that Violet reacted like that, to test us?_ the emotionless, disconnected part of her awareness queried tonelessly.

            _Along those lines, yes.  You two are not the only ones in need of testing._

_            What's out there that we need to fight?  It's not just in ourselves that the battle will take place, I figure._

_            The Voice was silent for a moment.  _

            _I have a head and can use it from time to time, you know._  By this time the conversation had worked its way into the rest of April's mind, and her daze had vanished.  The clarity of mind she now held almost shocked her.  _Violet is the one being most tested now, isn't she._

            _She has certain…issues…she must get over.  Even she wasn't aware she felt this way about various things.  _

_            How can I help?_

_            Can you?_

_            Good point.  … Garion.  He can help.  Where is he?_

            _Coming toward you.  _

_            He looks funny._

_            He just sensed something he did not expect to feel here._

_            What?_

_            One of those responsible for Violet's odd actions._

_            It's not her fault?_

_            Well, it is.  They just exploited her weaknesses and made things exponentially worse._

_            So she doesn't really_ feel as weird about stuff as she might appear.__

_            …Something like that._

_            April smiled thinly.  __If I use high-end speech all the time with you, mister, I'm not going to be able to communicate with anyone else after a while._

_            She had no idea what the Voice may have responded with, for at that moment Garion came up to her.  "Are you all right?" he asked._

            "I'm fine.  Really.  Go help Violet.  I can't do anything for her."

            "You can't…or won't?"

            "Both, since trying wouldn't make things any better.  Quite the opposite.  Besides, you're the Jedi.  Whatever happened to 'do, or do not; there is no try'?  I'm going with the whole 'do not' bit."

            Garion's eyes flashed – the first bit of anger she had ever seen from him.  "So you're going to leave her there, mad at you?"

            "You and I both know she overreacted, but neither of us know why – or, well, you may know why, or part of it, but I certainly don't.  Obviously my presence wouldn't soothe things in the slightest.  Rather, my being there with you could taint whatever good you could have done in my absence."  She arched an eyebrow.  "You're acting awfully snippy about all of this, Garion – this isn't like you.  What's up?"  _Is he in love with her?_

_            You certainly figured that out quickly._

_            How long has this gone on?_

_            Half his life, about.  He has never loved anyone else._

_            Figures.  Don't you have anything better to do?_

_            What do you mean?_

_            Throwing people at each other and then playing with the strings to make funky things happen.  Can't you just let people be happy and, well, together?_

_            You all are too young to be parents quite yet._

            April's burst of laughter startled Garion before he could muster a reply.  "What is so funny?"

            She blushed furiously.  "Nothing, nothing…go take care of Violet before the mess gets any larger, lover boy."

            He stared at her, his mouth hanging open slightly, her outburst forgotten.  This time his cheeks burned crimson.  "How…"

            The princess smiled gently.  "Don't worry.  It's not obvious, and I won't say a word."

            "If it's not obvious, then how did you…"

            "Eh, it's a talent, I guess.  I could always tell who liked who back in high school," she lied glibly.

            "Uh…I see."

            She watched him stand there, immobile, for another minute before sighing in exasperation.  "She's not going to get any better – or freer – if you don't move."

            "Freer?"

            "You sensed something amiss – do you _really_ think Violet would act that irrationally on her own?"

            Garion stared at her – again – before running off.

            _Geez, for a while there I thought I'd need a cattle prod to get him moving._

_            Now you know how I _feel most of the time.__

_            …Oh boy.  I'm turning into another one of you?  You really don't need a clone, okay?  One of you is bad enough.  She frowned.  _You know, you'd better have done this for a good reason, mister, or I'm going to be locked up for knowing too much.  Maybe you should stop giving me tips.__

_            You figured out his feelings for Violet with no help from me._

_            Lucky guess.  Besides, I'm sure you've mentioned something in the past to that extent, or something.  I'm honestly not good with figuring out who likes who._

_            Don't remind me._

            April glowered inwardly on her way back to the palace.


End file.
